Lethal Conclusion
by miraline
Summary: Bella has done all sorts of stupid things lately; leaving home without her wallet, forgotten where she parked her car, gone to meetings dressed in mismatched socks. The list goes on. Missing things turning up in odd places, appointments beeing mysteriously rebooked or cancelled. Pregnancy brain? Or is there something else, something darker and more disturbing waiting to be revealed
1. Chapter 1 - As the dust settles

Bonjour!

Everyone, so good to see you all again! Did anyone miss me? I'm back after spending a week in France (Corsica to be precise). Vacation = not writing one single word apart from a few postcards.

So here it is, finally… the first chapter of Lethal Conclusion.

This is the third in a series of fics (the previous ones being Twisted Tale and Toxic Lullaby) You do NOT have to read those two first, but this lethal conclusion will probably make more sense if you do, seeing as it is meant to be the conclusion of the series.

I have a few chapters prewritten, but those of you that have read my fics before probably know by now that I am a rather slow writer. You can expect updates twice maybe tree time's a month. Currently I've got 22 chapters outlined and it's my ambition to not let this story reach more than 30 chapters (that's about a year worth of writing for me… ugh)

There will be some repetitive stuff in the first few chapters so that both old and new readers will know where the characters stand before the story line picks up and the plot thickens. Just like with the two previous stories there will be a bit of a parallel plot happening alongside the lovey dovey fluff and relationship drama.

.

* * *

.

Complete summary:

Bella has done all sorts of stupid things lately...leaving home without her wallet, walked away from her vehicle leaving the door open, gone to meetings dressed in mismatched socks. The list goes on… Things have gone missing and turned up in odd places, appointments have been mysteriously cancelled and rebooked without any memory of such decisions being made…. Pregnancy brain? Or is there something else… something much darker and more disturbing waiting to be revealed as special agent Swan takes on the challenge of living full time with Edward and his 3-year-old son Tony.

.

...

.

**Chapter 1 - As the dust settles...**

Bella woke, feeling sweaty and uncomfortable. Her cotton T-shirt clung to her chest like a second skin and the warm flannel of her pyjama bottoms made her skin feel itchy and overheated.

Frustrated, she threw her blanket off in hopes of cooling down. When that didn't work she pried her eyes open slowly and looked around the darkened room.

It took her a while to orient herself. Her vision was hazy with fatigue as she clearly hadn't gotten more than a few winks of sleep. She was lying in a bed, she knew that much. The only other thing she was certain of was that the bed was located in bedroom that was not her own.

Bella felt she should be used to this by now. It had been ages since she had slept in her own bed. Between her out-of-town work commitments, a shorter hospital stint, and a oh so lovely visit with the 'in-laws' over the holidays, she had woken up in countless of different rooms and different beds over the past few months. That didn't stop her heart rate from spiking for a second or two. Then she recognized the soft snores of her boyfriend, and with that her panic turned into frustration instead. No wonder she was warm. Edward was draped over her back like a second blanket and the two of them were surrounded by seemingly thousands of pillows; large, puffy, frilly pillows… ugh.

Suddenly, she knew with startling clarity just whose bedroom this was. Not that she had really forgotten - it was just difficult to hold more than one thought at a time when she was only barely awake. The bedspread, the decor and everything else about the room all screamed 'hand-picked by Alice Cullen'. The woman was a saint for swapping apartment with her brother, but her taste was a bit on the over-the-top, girly side. The only hint of a masculine touch in the room was the antique civil war rifle hanging above the door. Poor Jasper did not have much say in home decor matters, that much was clear. He was probably enjoying his stay in Edwards bachelor pad, which was all bedecked in leather, dark-colored wood, glossy white bathroom tile, and the latest in electronic devices… or maybe not, because it really, truly felt weird being in someone else's bedroom.

Note to self: You cannot unsee what you see in your boyfriend's sister's bedside drawers, so don't look!.

It's only a temporary solution, Bella felt the need to remind herself as she shuddered and then rubbed her eyes free of the last remaining traces of sleep.

Sometimes she wished she could fast-forward through time so she could be done with the whole ordeal. She couldn't wait to be all settled into the new home, the one that Edward had purchased for them little over a month ago.

Moving in together had not been as straightforward as they had originally thought it would be. Finding and buying a property to live in had been a bit of a hit-and-miss affair, to say the least. The house they had finally settled for certainly had the potential of becoming a great investment. However, in their rush to close the deal, they had misjudged the amount of work it would actually take to get their new home ready for habitation.

So while the necessary renovations were being carried out, Bella found herself being talked into staying in her previously mentioned compact but cozy, top-floor bachelor pad. Not the smartest of moves. The tight living space was obviously not ideal, but the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back, came when the elevator broke down five times in the first eight days of Bella living there.

This was when Alice, bless her heart, came to the rescue and the swapping of apartments took place. A faulty elevator was seriously the last thing you'd want to have to deal with when you're lugging around a stomach the size of a pumpkin. Because yes, Bella was pregnant and quite heavily so, which was why she couldn't muster up the energy to deal with more than one or two flights of stairs at a time.

It was also the reason why she couldn't seem to get any quality REM sleep at night these days. It was kind of hard to relax and get comfortable, when your whole body was sore, swollen and achy. Mostly however, she placed the blame for her insomnia on those icky third-trimester pregnant hormones coursing through her veins.

Damn pregnancy. Damn hormones…. Damn it all!

Not for the first time, she cursed Edward and his super sperm (this being his second child, but Bella's first)!

Sometimes she regretted ever letting him near her in the first place. Only no, not really…. Bella was so very happy that she and Edward were having this surprise baby together - still a bit shocked and overwhelmed, but happy nonetheless. There was no one she rather share this experience with than Edward.

Also, it didn't hurt that pregnant sex had been some of the best sex they had ever had together, which would account for some of the soreness she was currently feeling.

Those damn hormones sure had a lot to answer for!

.

…

.

Edward Cullen did not want to wake up just yet.

Something, or someone, was trying to rouse him from his sleep, but it was way, way too early to be awake for his liking. He groaned in frustration and buried his head deeper into his pillow. The room was still dark, quiet and child free, so he really saw no reason to get up anytime soon. In fact he would prefer to sleep for another three… or six hours, if possible.

It wasn't until he realized that his pillow was moving, and was made out of flesh, that he finally forced his eyes open, grumbling, "Where's the fire?"

"I need to get up," came the reply. "Edward, let go off my arm!"

"No, it's still dark and you promised we'd get to sleep in this morning."

"In your dreams maybe," his adorably grumpy, very pregnant girlfriend snorted at him, untangling her legs from his. "I've promised no such thing and I really, REALLY need to go to the bathroom,"

"Again?" Edward grumbled, as he rolled over and propping his head up on his elbow. "Ugh, it's like every other hour now, that can't possibly be normal?"

"I don't know." Bella pushed her body off the bed, steadying herself with a hand on his shoulder. Her other hand was curled around her swollen, nearly seven month pregnant belly. "All I know is that your baby is pressing on my bladder and if I don't get up now, I'll wet myself and the bed and then none of us will get any more sleep this morning," she informed which he only hummed absently in response, because as per usual, his mind began reeling the second she referred to her bump as his baby.

Holy crap! - there was an actual, living baby in there! And not just any baby, HIS baby!

Hearing those words coming out of that sweet mouth of hers… Itgot to him every time. It made his chest tightened with a mixture of emotions. Irrational fear of the enormous commitment he was about to make, being the primary one. The responsibilities that came with newborn babies were terrifyingand very much uncharted territory for him. However he also felt a great deal of anticipation and eagerness to meet this new little creature they had created together.

Another emotion that came over him, while watching Bella waddled across the room, was...awe. She was so beautiful like this, he could hardly think straight.

He loved how smooth and rosy her ivory skin looked. The whole pregnancy glow thing wasn't justbullshit, at least not in her case. Bella was truly radiant. He loved how her body was changing to accommodate their growing baby. He loved watching, and touching, her bump. He loved her fuller breasts, her curvier hips… and the two dimples in the small of her back... They had never been as pronounced as they were now and he just loved them.

Not that he hadn't loved her slender, lean frame from before, and would again, but there was something about seeing her like this, something about the silhouette of her ripe, pregnant body, that made him want to drag her into his arms and make love to her until they were both too exhausted to take even one more breath.

Now there was a thought worth exploring….

Forget sleep, sleep was overrated anyway, he decided fighting off a yawn. He could feel a new plan forming in his sleep deprived, horny mess of a mind; a plan that involved getting as much grown up time in as possible, beforethe three-year-old, currently asleep in the other bedroom, woke up and took over the joint.

Ironically that was the last thought that ran through his mind, before another jaw-cracking yawn came over him and he felt his eyelids succumb to the force of gravity.

.

….

.

Bella wasn't too surprised to find Edward fast asleep again upon her return to the bedroom.

She couldn't fault him for it. She knew he had been through an absolutely exhausting week, slaving away to make his newly purchased, four bedroom, semi detached townhouse livable before the arrival of the new baby.

Sighing, she climbed back into the bed, arranging the blankets around her swollen abdomen. Surprise babies had a tendency to turn everything upside down. The larger her belly grew the more obsessed Edward seemed to get with his plans for the new house. While she had no doubt his heart was in the right place, it all reeked of some sort of male testosterone thing,which Bella found a little bizarre.

Who cared if the second bathroom didn't have a tub? Or if the kitchen only had open shelving as the above counter storage? It didn't have to be perfect, just structurally safe, weather resistant and child proofed.

The thing was that Edward, despite his good intentions, had turned out to be a rather mediocre fixer-upper. He was a musician and song writer, not a builder, or a carpenter, or electrician, or plumber. He wasn't a hopeless case, or anything, just a bit disorganized and perhaps not the fastest learner out there. The entire project was beginning to lag behind schedule.

Bella couldn't help but worry that this less than stellar start was a premonition of some sort. That it was a bad omen, rather than simply a matter of biting off more than you can chew. But then again, there was also a slight possibility that she was overthinking things. She seemed to have been doing that a lot lately.

As if to say 'stop being ridiculous mommy', the baby in her womb chose that precise moment to make its presence known, delivering a particularly sharp jab to her gasped in equal amount of awe and pain from the undeniableforce of it.

It was both scary and exciting to think that in just twelve weeks time (or possibly sooner) they'd have a newborn baby to attend to. It would be a full time job, no doubt, and the prospect of having to do it while stumbling around piles of moving boxes was not a very appealing one.

She'd very much like for them to be all settled into their new home before her water broke. Was it even possible to get the house finished, furnished and unpacked in three months time? That was the question. Bella had her doubts. She'd never voice those doubts out loud though. Their relationship was still new and somewhat shaky and she wasn't going to be the one that rocked the boat. She knew from experience that Edward possessed a pig-headed stubbornness. If he said he could do it, he'd do it… or die trying.

She also knew that real, actual progress had been made over the last few days. All the floors were now sanded, stained, and sealed, perhaps mostly thanks to Edward's mother's experience and contacts in the interior design field, and his sister's excellent project managing skills, but still… it was progress none the less.

While the color of the finished floors was a little darker than what Bella would have preferred, she knew that this was not the time to be picky. So what if it wasn't perfect? It had a beautiful handmade look and feel to it; full of heart and full of love. Frankly, at this point, any progress was good progress.

The baby kicked again, as if in agreement. Bella placed a hand over the ruckus, hoping to soothe it. Sometimes rubbing circles along sides of her belly seemed to calm the movements and she hoped that would be the case tonight, because she really needed to get some more rest. Edward wasn't the only one feeling exhausted.

Bella was having a rather rough first pregnancy with several complications. She had been hospitalized twice for blood pressure issues, but thankfully her bp had been at a fairly safe level over the last five weeks.

They had also had a bit of a heart related scare where they had been told the fetal heart rate was a little higher and the beats slightly more irregular than what could be considered normal. However, after seeing a specialist and having a fetal echocardiogram preformed, they had gotten the good news that the baby's heart looked 100% healthy. The same could be said about all the other internal organs… Yes, there had been extra sonograms just to make sure because another great concern during the first two trimesters had been the slow pace of which the fetus was growing. However, once Bella had hit her third trimester, the baby had hit a growth spurt. While their baby was still a bit on the small side, it was growing bigger with every passing week. Bella swore her belly had literally tripled in size this past month. Great news for the baby, bad news for Bella's sore back and swollen feet.

Due to her blood pressure issues she had been advised to not return to work until the baby was born, which sucked major a**, but also made a lot of sense, seeing as she held a rather physically demanding position as a FBI field agent. There was also the small, tiny matter of having gotten herself suspended for acting in personal interests rather than in the best interests of the Bureau… It was no big deal, but it meant that showing up at the office, for anything other than a brief visit, was not an option at the moment.

Needless to say Bella had also been forbidden, by both her doctor and her boyfriend, to partake in any renovation tasks around the house. This all left her feeling rather restless and unproductive of course… Or, she would have felt rather restless and unproductive, if it wasn't for Anthony.

While Edward was struggling to keep control of their gimongous house project, Bella more often than seldom found herself back at Alice's apartment with an overactive toddler on her hands. Becoming a step-parent to a three-year-old required a lot of patience and determination, but also a lot of running (read: waddling) around, chasing said child. Anthony was one strong willed, determined little fellow that's for sure.

Speaking of overly active and strong willed children… the little one in her womb finally seemed to be settling down for a nap and Bella shifted to lay on her side with the hopes of doing the same.

But nope… no such luck.

This position only seemed to trigger her lower back pains. She had already experienced a few minor bouts of what the pregnancy books called 'a pinched sciatic nerve'. The pain came and went with a few weeks interval. Annoying as hell, but thankfully nothing a trip to the chiropractor couldn't fix. She already had weekly appointments in place for the remainder of her pregnancy.

Bella heaved a sigh and propped herself up on some pillows, hoping it would relieve some of the pressure. It didn't quite work. Neither did laying on her other side. With another annoyed sigh, she adjusted her pillows again and rolled onto her back. This was her least favorite position to sleep in, but it actually did make her back feel a little better, for the moment at least…

She almost managed to float off into dreamland. Almost, but not quite, because all the moving around she had done, trying to get comfortable, seemed to have woken the baby again. She endured the somersaults and the rib kicking for half an hour or so, but then the baby landed a big one on her bladder and she was forced to make another mad dash for the bathroom.

If she hadn't been cranky before, she certainly was now. Getting out of the bed was getting increasingly difficult due to the growing size of her belly and in her struggle to get up, her elbow accidentally hit something sharp.

"Oomph," a startled Edward yelped beside her.

"Sorry," she muttered, not feeling sorry at all, just irritated…

"What's wrong this time, love?" he asked drowsily, while sitting rubbing his eyes.

Bella felt her irritation flare into anger. Cue mood swingin 3…2…1…

"You knocked me up, that's what's wrong. And now I've got someone using my bladder as a punching bag," she snapped at him.

Then she turned and stormed away as fast as her swollen ankles would take her.  
.

….

.

Despite his best intentions to stay awake this time, Edward had more or less dozed off again, by the time the door opened, announcing Bella's return. She started cursing though, as she accidentally stumbled into the corner of the dresser, and that's what saved him from repeating his previous mistake.

"Need help?" he asked, forcing his eyes open.

"I'm not an invalid. I'm still very much capable of walking on my own," was the reply he got.

As he listened to her crawling into bed, Edward got the distinct impression that she was munching on something. Probably another one of those barely ripe, green apples she seemed to love so much. Her cravings lately had him terribly amused… it was all mouth puckeringly sour stuff, that no sane person would even think to put in their mouth.

He flicked the bedside lamp on, only to discover it wasn't an apple, it was a kiwi and she wasn't just munching on it, she was practically devouring it, hairy skin and all. Gross!

He knew better than to show his disgust though. "Steeling my food again, Swan?" he teased, trying to pull her into his arms. While he had gotten the distinct impression that she wouldn't be up for anything amorous at the moment, he was still hoping for a nice, long cuddle.

She shot him down with a fierce glare. "You want me to starve, is that it? And also, your food, Edward? I'll remember that next time there are vegetables to chopand potatoes to peel."

She had a point there. While Edward did most of the grocery shopping, Bella was the one that did all the actual work in the kitchen.

"I didn't mean it that way, obviously, " he back-paddled. "It's just…you're always… never mind." He shook his head. Then a thought struck him. "Hey, wait a minute… I just thought those kiwis were meant to go in the cake you were planning on baking for the party."

"Oh, shoot I forgot," Bella frowned, because how could she forget Tony's much belated birthday party? The kid specifically wanted a green monster cake for the celebration of his third birthday. To make things worse, they were supposed to host said party in only a few hours time. Edwards's parents had flown in especially for the occasion. "I'm the worst step mother ever," she groaned, running her hands through her hair in frustration.

"No, you're not," Edward said, trying to sound reassuring. The last thing he needed was her bursting into tears over something as silly as a cake. He didn't have the patience to deal with something like that at five o'clock in the morning.

Scooting closer to her, he added, "Firstly, I thought I had banned the term step mother. I don't like it. I don't care where he came from. You're the only mother he'll ever know." He saw her open her mouth to object and ploughed right through to his next point. "Secondly, we're out of milk too, so I'll have to run down to the grocery store first thing anyway… So forget I even brought it up. It's a non-issue."

"Still, I should have remembered," Bella sighed, snuggling up to his side. "But hey, if you're going to the store, could you get me some more apples? Pretty please?" She batted her eyelashes sweetly. "And rhubarb. I'd love some rhubarb."

"Suuuure," he agreed hesitantly, resting a hand on the sizeable bump that was their baby. "Anything else you want? More lemons perhaps?"

"What's with that tone? At least I'm craving perfectly normal, healthy things at the moment."

Edward snorted. "I don't think kiwis at five in the morning is 'perfectly normal', Swan. The kid is going to come out all green and hairy. He'll look like a proper alien."

"No SHE wont."

Bella grabbed Edward's hand and moved it lower, "Feel that? She's telling you to shut up and get her those apples. The greener the better."

"My God, bad-mouthing daddy already?" Edward said in mock horror. "What's wrong with the kids today?"

"I know!" Bella laughed. "I mean, she might look sweet and innocent when we get to see her in those sonograms, but she's been physically abusing my intestines for months."

Edward's face suddenly turned serious. "I don't think I'll ever get over that you're growing a LIVING person inside your body," he admitted with a shake of his head. "It's amazing."

"I can't take all the credit," Bella grinned up at him, cradling her bulging stomach. "We did this."

"We did," Edward nodded, feeling his face split into a smile so wide his cheeks hurt. "And we weren't even trying. This is our little surprise baby...in every sense of the word."

"It was a good surprise though, right?"

"The best," he agreed, pressing a kiss first to her forehead, then to her lips. "But, sweetie, it's boy. We're having another boy."

Bella rolled her eyes and threaded her fingers through his hair

"Girl," she mouthed against his lips.

.

…..

.

The all too familiar sound of small feet padding into the room came roughly thirty-five minutes later.

Edward, of course, had managed to fall asleep again, but Bella was alert enough to open an eye and help Anthony climb up and into the bed.

She tried to give the little boy a hug, but he immediately squirmed in her arms, demanding to be set free.

"Edda," he squealed. No prizes for guessing who his favorite person was.

Despite having only known his daddy for a handful of months the boy was clearly enamoured with him. The feeling was mutual, of course. But it hadn't always been easy—there had definitely beensome ups and downs along the way.

No parent should have to learn about their child's existence through a phone call from social services. Truth be told, Edward had not been overly thrilled to have a three year old toddler dropped in his lap. With time though, he had proven that he was both willing and able to make all the necessary changes to fit a child into his life. And if Edward could do it, Bella figured, she could too. Tony had no one but them now and while their parenting skills still needed a bit of work, they would get there... They had to, because soon there would be not one but two children depending on them. It was crazy how quickly things had changed and what this meant for the future.

.

….

.

The next time Edward woke, a small body was bouncing on his back.

"Edda! Edda! Edda!" little Tony chanted over and over again, until Edward flipped him onto the mattress and tickled him into a giggling mess.

"No tickles," the boy gasped between fits of hysterical laughter.

Edward eased up when the boy started kicking. No need to risk getting whacked in the nuts. Also, he caught a glimpse of Bella, frowning disapprovingly at him from the doorway.

"So listen up, pantless son of mine, you're looking very dapper this morning, mismatched socks and all," he commented, sniffing the boy's pull-ups, to check the diaper situation. "Did you pick this ensemble out yourself? Or was there any help involved?" he added, throwing Bella a questioning look.

"I changed his diaper when he first woke up," she replied, maneuvering over to the bed. "As for the clothes… We only got halfway. He didn't like the pants I had picked out for him."

This was not an unusual occurrence. If it was up to Tony, he'd run around naked all day long, seven days a week. The only few articles of clothing he actually seemed to like, were his growing collection of groovy superhero tee's, his brightly colored socks (preferably mismatched) and, of course, his snow boots ( which he seemed to love for some obscure reason).

"Give 'em to me," Edward sighed, accepting the pile of clothes that Bella had brought over to the bed.

"Can't say I blame the kid," he snorted inspecting what appeared to be a pair of ridiculously fashionable toddler sized, designer jeans.

"Don't be rude!" Bella smacked the back of his head "Those were a gift from Alice and she'll be pleased to see him use them."

"A little overkill though, even for a birthday party, don't you think?"

"I had a slim selection to choose from, all right," Bella responded sourly. "If you'd let me go down to the Laundromat the other day, like I suggested, we wouldn't be having this discussion."

"I was just saving you from your own stupidity. You're not supposed to carry anything heavier than a gallon of milk," Edward gave her a pointed look, as he lifted the toddler off the bed and carried him off towards the bathroom.

"You do realize I've been hand washing clothes for the past week and a half, right?" she shouted after him. "That's manual labor. I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to do that either. You should just fess up to your mistake and buy your sister a new washing machine."

He paused in the doorway. "Look, you know I want to try and fix it myself first. It's just that I haven't had the time to look at it yet. I promise I'll get to it tomorrow."

"Look at it all you want. I'm pretty sure it's unfixable. There were sparks coming from it and everything," Bella scoffed, but waved him off when he took a step back into the room. They had had this argument a number of times already.

Edward didn't want to admit to Alice that he had broken her washing machine by overstuffing it with things that were not supposed to go anywhere near a washing machine.

Long story short, Anthony had caught a stomach bug from his cousin Elliott about two weeks ago and had been puking all over his bedroom, twice, without warning. Thankfully, they managed to get the smell out of the clothes, carpets and drapes after several washes and a few overnight soaks in baking soda. The toys however, were a completely different story. They had made the empirical discovery that it was actually harder to get the sick smell out of plastics than anything else.

Edward had turned to big brother Emmett for advice (it seemed appropriate considering that's where the germs came from). The only suggestion he had for them was to run everything through the dishwasher for a few cycles.

It sounded like something that might actually work, but Bella couldn't live with the thought of letting anything that had been covered in puke inside the dishwasher. Even if she knew the high water temperature most definitely would kill of any harmful bacteria, it still seemed unhygienic somehow.

This prompted Edward to do some googling. In the end he decided to try and wash the toys in Alice's washing machine. Big mistake… The washing part went without a hitch, but when it came time to rinsed and dry the toys through centrifugation, something got stuck behind the drum and now the machine was kaput in every sense of the word. This was undoubtedly something they would all laugh about in a few years time. For the time being though, it was still a bit of a touchy subject.

"I'm pretty sure I can fix it," Edward insisted, bouncing a now squirming Anthony on his hip. "And if I'm wrong, there are pros that repair all sort of electric appliances for a living. I'm simply saying there is no need to tell Alice anything just yet."

"Whatever you say, Edward. We don't really have time for this today." Bella sighed, turning away to look for her reading glasses. She already had a headache forming and she knew it was going to be a long day. "We've got guests coming over in a few hours."

"Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry," he said quickly clearing his throat. "I'll get the kid suited up for a trip to the store. Groceries first, then breakfast, then the cake and the rest of the party preparations…. Anything else?"

"No, Rosie helped me prep everything when she came by yesterday. All that's left is to finish that fu-…" she caught herself before the word slipped out. "The cake. I need to finish the cake, because we can't have a birthday party without Tony getting his green monster cake."

"It's not too late to buy one, if you're not feeling it."

"NO. I'll do it. I wanna do it. The cake base is already baked. I just need to make the fillings for the layers and the icing to decorate it with…. and pray it comes out looking like a monster. That's all."

"I'd offer to help, but…"

"Honey, if you value your life, you'll stay out of the kitchen."

"Yeah, that's what I thought you'd say," he laughed, ducking out of the bedroom.

.

…

.

Bella was elbow deep in cake frosting when the doorbell rang, thirty-something-minutes later.

"What did he forget this time," she grumbled, thinking it was Edward that had misplaced his car keys or something.

Up until that point it had been a fairly normal morning in the Cullen/Swan household; a couple of table spoons worth of toddler antics, one fluid ounce of wounded male pride and quite a few cups of crazy pregnancy mood swings.

However, as Bella Swan would soon learn, this was no ordinary morning. Wiping her hands on a kitchen towel she went to answer the door, only to be greeted by none other then Renee Dwyer.

And just like that, her headache was back with a vengeance.

.

…..

.

**_AN: So what did you think? Share your thoughts or just a smiley so that I know you're with me..._**


	2. Chap2 Stirring crap & cooking up trouble

AN: Thank you all for the response on the first chapter, here is the next one...

I am not a doctor or in the medical field, so I'm sorry if the medical details aren't 100% accurate in this chapter. I have knowingly twisted some facts around to fit in with what I already had. Remember this is fiction and in fiction, anything can happen ;)

.

**Chapter 2 – Stirring crap and cooking up trouble**

.

"Mom?" Bella spluttered, staring at the person on her doorstep in surprise. This was not the visitor she had expected at eight thirty in the morning.

"Aren't you going to let me in?" Renee Dwyer asked, her tone as brisk as a slap in the face.

"Do I have a choice?" Bella snorted, as she shook herself out of the half-daze she'd fallen into. She hadn't had much contact with her mother for quite some time now... and for good reasons.

"Not really, no," Renee said with a short laugh. "Don't worry, love. I won't stay long. Phil is waiting for me."

Her heels clicked on the hardwood floor as she brushed inside. She went straight for the first door she spotted, which happened to be Alice's kitchen. Once over the threshold, Renee stopped momentarily to take in the state of the room. The countertops were littered with flour, measuring cups, mixing bowls and other cake baking necessities. There were even some egg shells on the floor.

"Sorry about the mess," Bella hated the way she felt the need to explain herself. Rene was dressed to the nines, hair and make up was styled and applied to perfection and Bella felt like a bum in comparison; a bum living in a borrowed apartment carpeted with trash, dirty clothes, and discarded toys. "You caught me in the middle of baking. I wish you would have called first."

"You mean so that you could choose not to answer." Renee interjected, waving a hand with perfectly manicured blood-red nails.

Bella did not dignify her mother with a reply, instead she busied herself with putting the icing away in the fridge and moving the mess of used bowls and utensils into the dishwasher.

"I'm your mother. You can't avoid me forever. I think it's time we have a chat."

"You never just want to chat," Bella turned around, crossing her arms in front of her chest in a defensive gesture, but kept her voice steady. "It's never just a chat with you. How did you even know where to find me?"

"I have my ways."

"You always do, that's part of the problem." Bella's words came out in a bit of an angry rush, having been contained inside her for far too long. "You didn't use to be like this when I was a kid; this overbearing, ultra controlling parent, who takes every opportunity to tell me, the now grown-up offspring, how to live life, what to do, and how to be."

"We haven't spoken in weeks. How is that overbearing?"

"You know what I mean. You always have an agenda. Why are you here? No one dresses like that for a casual, 'I was in the neighborhood', drop-in visit."

"I only came here hoping we could talk," Renee insisted. "And I told you I have plans with Phil later."

Just then, the timer that was situated on countertop by the stove went off and perhaps it was the breather they both needed.

Ignoring Renee's indignant expression, Bella turned her back to her and poked her head inside the fridge to check on the sugar paste she had put away to cool for later use. Rewrapping it tightly in plastic wrap she put it back in the cold and reset the timer, hoping –praying- that Edward would be back with the rest of the ingredients within the next twenty minutes. Not only for the sake of the cake, but also for the sake her own sanity and blood pressure.

Bella waited until she felt her calm return before addressing Renee again.

"Alright mother, what was it that you wanted to talk about? I'm all ears now, but make it quick. I've got things to do."

"More house chores?"

Bella didn't have to see her face to know she was arching an eyebrow.

"We're expecting guests in a few hours."

"You're looking awfully tired, Isabella. You should try and rest more. Dark circles don't become you."

"Gee, thanks mom, exactly what I needed to hear."

"I'm sorry. Was that insensitive of me?" she held up her hands in appeasement. "If it's any consolation, your complexion looks great. I don't think I've ever seen your skin look this flawless before."

"Great! Good to know." Bella rolled her eyes. Never mind health and well-being. Apparently appearance was far more important than anything else.

"Don't be that way. I worry about you."

Bella couldn't stop the frown that had taken over her face. "I'm doing fine, thank you for asking. The baby is fine too, growing like weed." She placed a hand on her stomach and gave it a pat.

"I can see that."

For a brief moment Bella thought she saw a hint of actual emotion flash across Renee's face before she put her usual neutral expression back in place.

"I can see why you are so uncomfortable, dear. You are getting quite big already. You should have told me sooner. I wish you would have told me sooner."

"Yeah well, sorry about that. " Actually she wasn't sorry at all. Talking to her darling mother lately had been like pulling teeth. "It wasn't just you. I didn't tell anyone, but Edward, and I waited months to tell him. I'm sorry if that upsets you, but I had my reasons."

"Yeah? I'm dying to hear what they were."

"No, " Bella gripped the sink and tried to force a smile.

"No?" Renee repeated like she had never heard that word before.

Bella shook her head, silently reminding herself to stay strong. "All you need to know is that I'm fine, we're fine, everyone's fine."

She knew as long as she let her mother control things, as long as she settled for merely reacting to her mother's comments and waiting for the next offensive thing to come out of her mouth, nothing would change. Ever.

"I have new responsibilities now that will take priority over the things I do," she added moving to unplug her cell phone from where it was charging on the iPod dock at the center of the kitchen table.

"If you're talking about that boy-…"

"Here, let me show you what I'm talking about." Unlocking her phone, Bella brought up the photo gallery and handed it to her mother.

"That's Anthony, Edward's son. The cake I'm baking, it's for his third birthday."

She let Renee scroll through a couple pictures before she continued. "You'll always be my mother, but these two lovelies, Edward and Tony, they are my family now."

"Cute kid, I suppose," Renee said, handing back the phone. "What do you expect me to say? Congratulations? Best of luck?"

"I'm not going to force you to say anything you're not ready to say." Bella sighed, not sure why she even bothered with this conversation. "Edward has bought a house for the four of us to live in, did you know that? I know you have some reservations about him, that he's not worthy or whatever, but…"

Her mother was quick to interrupt her, "I just don't see the appeal in someone like him. I know you're crazy about him Isabella, but I look at him and all I see is his flawed genes and his troublesome background."

"You shouldn't talk about him like that," Bella protested rather indignantly on her boyfriend's behalf. "You don't even know him."

"I know enough to know he's not what I want for you, Isabella. That's not my main concern though. You're rushing into things... again. I know I was the same way when I was your age, worse even. That's how I know this is all wrong for you. You're my only daughter and I hate to see you do the same mistake I did. Once you have a child, you're stuck. Your life will never be the same. You think you want this now, but-…"

"I KNOW I want this," Bella interrupted. "And besides it's a little late to change anything anyway," she added, her arms instinctively wrapping around her bump protectively.

"You were a wreck this time last year. Have you forgotten about that? This all seem to be happening way too fast."

Of course she would bring that up, Bella thought with a slight shake of her head. "It's been more than a year and no you don't have to remind me. It was a difficult time for me."

It was true, she had been in quite a state over the breakdown of her short and turbulent first marriage; a marriage that most likely would have ended in a divorce, but instead had ended with the tragic death of her husband.

A barrage of images assaulted her mind; Jake on his bike, different race tracks, different crowds, different countries. Her husband had been a professional motorcycle road racer, and while there had been plenty of wins and good memories, there had also been plenty of defeats, heartaches and disappointments. For every good memory there was a slew of bad ones; mostly memories of the crash and the injuries that ended a brilliant career, but also the surgeries that followed and the long road of rehabilitation that never really got them anywhere. Then there was the relief when it was finally over and of course the guilty conscience that she tried not to think too much about. The fact that the marriage had gone sour long before the accident mattered little when dealing with the after-match of it all.

"You're right, I was a wreck," Bella conceded, shaking herself back from her thoughts. "I needed time to grieve and process things, but I'm ready to move on with my life now."

"I worry about you, Isabella, " her mother said, sounding unconvinced. "I came to make sure you've taken proper precautions, that you're getting the best care possible."

"What do you mean precautions?"

"You were on antidepressants for quite some time, " Renee pointed out. "And now you're pregnant. The hormonal changes and the mental stress that comes with being pregnant are nothing to take lightly."

"I'm aware of that, but you forget I'm not alone in this. I have a wonderful, thoughtful and caring boyfriend, who is both attentive and a good listener." It was true, he really, truly was wonderful… most times. However, like many new couples they had had their fair share of miscommunications and arguments. She saw no point in informing Renee about that though. Instead, she laid it on thick. "I'm not where I was a year ago. I've never felt more cherished, more loved and more understood before in my life."

"That's nice, but have you considered seeing someone professionally?" Renee, suggested with feigned nonchalance.

This wasn't random, this wasn't something Renee just happened to bring up. Knowing her mother, Bella knew this was all planned and prepared. She knew she would not like where this was going, yet she could not stop herself from asking, "A psychiatrist you mean?"

"Someone that is experienced in these matters," Renee nodded.

"No, I'm not considering seeing anyone at the moment and if I were, I certainly wouldn't be taking recommendations from you." Yep, definitely not liking where this was going. Bella felt her temper rising and she took several deep breaths to regain her composure. "The last time I did that I ended up being hooked on a bunch of pills I didn't need or want."

The doctor Renee had taken her to, after Jake's passing all those months ago, had been a real idiot. Bella recognized that now. At the time she had been relieved not having to answer too many questions, but now with hindsight and a clearer healthier state of mind, she knew prescribing her those meds without addressing the problem itself with therapy or at least offering some sort of grief counseling had been beyond unethical.

"If I had known you'd go and get yourself pregnant… " Renee shook her head, like it was beyond her how Bella could have allowed for something so foolish to happen.

"It wasn't something we planned for," Bella shot back. "It happened and now we're dealing with it."

"All I'm saying is that maybe you should be dealing with it differently, because the situation you've gotten yourself into is quite delicate. I'm sure you know the first trimester is the most critical in many aspects. What you put into your system is what-…"

"…the baby feeds on. Yes, I know that." Bella clenched her fists to stop her hands from shaking. "It was one of the first things I discussed with my obstetrician." Not before googling it, though. She had read a lot confusing and or inaccurate thesis on the subject while waiting for her first scheduled appointment with dr. Montgomery.

"And?" her mother prompted.

"And nothing. I was told not to worry about it."

There was that eyebrow again. "Really?"

"Yes really. The risk of birth defects and other problems for babies of mothers who take antidepressants during first trimester is really low to begin with and thankfully I was completely weaned off the meds by nine weeks."

"Low risk is not the same as no risk. What kind of risks are we talking about here? Organ malformation? Sensory impairment? Mental retardation?"

"Are you for real?" This time she didn't bother to hold back her anger or keep her tone in check. "I can't believe you actually said that – NEVER say things like that to a pregnant woman!" There was more she wanted to say, but glaring white spots were dancing in front of her eyes and she knew she was in danger of passing out right there and then if she didn't take a few seconds to calm herself down.

"Stop being so sensitive," Renee objected, but Bella barely heard her over the blood pounding in her ears. "I always give you the full honest truth and I expect you to return that courtesy. It's not too late to take precautions, but I need to know what we're dealing with, if I'm going to be able to help you."

Bella pinched the bridge of her nose and silently counted to ten before she responded, "Firstly, I don't need your help and secondly, you're no doctor so there really isn't a whole lot you can do about this."

"So we are looking at complications of the medical kind then?"

"No, that's not what I said," Bella sighed, her blood still boiling. "How do you expect me to tell you anything, if you keep twisting my words?"

"Well, set me straight then, Isabella," Renee suggested. "Correct me, enlighten me, that's all I'm asking for."

Bella counted to ten two more times before she finally gritted it out. "Omphalocele."

"Ompha-what?"

"That's when the baby is born with intestines and sometimes organs lying outside of the abdomen. There is a 1.3-fold increased risk, but it only occurs in one out of every 4,000 births, so in actuality the risk is still microscopic. There. I've said it. Now, go home mother. I need to go lay down for a while and you need to disappear out of my sight."

Not too surprising, Renee did not listen to her request. "Sounds like quite serious condition, Isabella," she said instead, not an ounce of sympathy in her voice. "Does your darling boyfriend know about this?"

"Don't!" Bella felt her jaw tighten, her teeth clench.

"Don't what? You can be mad at me all you want, but that doesn't change the fact that even the healthiest of children will put a strain on your relationship with their relentless demands. And if it's a child born with birth defects…."

"Don't make this into a bigger deal than it needs to be. If there was a problem it would have showed up on the sonograms by now. Besides it's considered to be a treatable and survivable condition nowadays."

"Even without birth defects, there are some major genetic flaws in both of your immediate family history."

"Don't go there!" The warning was just as much to herself as it was to her mother. Don't fall for this… Don't give her the reaction she is looking for... Ignore her games and move on.

"Between Charlie's Alzheimer and the Masen crazy gene, this child will be lucky if-…."

That did it… Bella could not let her mother finish that sentence. "You did not just say that?!" she found herself roaring as the well of anger she kept so tightly bottled, exploded. She could not have Renee stand there in her kitchen (or technically Alice's kitchen) and make stabs at Bella's own father and Edward's birth mother, both of which were not capable of defending themselves. She could not have that….

Without thinking she reached out and grabbed Renee by the wrist, twisting it until her mother was yelping in pain. She kept going until she was mere seconds away from breaking bones. "Get out of here Renee. Get the hell out of my life! " she growled, teeth bared in an almost animalistic snarl as she used her forward momentum to push her mother out of her way. "I want nothing to do with you and if you come near me again, I will not hesitate to drag your name through the mud! Phil has a re election coming up, doesn't he?"

She didn't wait for a response. If there was one, she didn't hear it. She was out the apartment as fast as her body would let her, which wasn't very fast at all. Thankfully, the next door neighbor came to the door on the third knock.

Thankfully, the next door neighbor had witnessed Bella Swan with her claws out and her teeth bared before, because that was one scary sight you don't want to see on your doorstep.

Thankfully, the next door neighbor was someone was also well aware of the emotional roller coaster that had been her life these past few months; a neighbor that took one look at her and knew that there would be floods of tears in a matter of minutes. A neighbor that knew he better get on the phone with his brother straight away, because thankfully the next door neighbor was none other than Emmett McCarty Cullen.

.

…...

.

The moment Edward received the phone call from his brother urging him to return home ASAP, he immediately thought the worst; that something had happened to his Bella.

Was it her blood pressure? Did she fall and hurt herself? Was something wrong with the baby? Oh God, what if it was something worse?

Having a pregnant girlfriend was not good for the nerves.

His brother's reassurance that it was 'only' a case of a meddling Renee Dwyer showing up unannounced to… well meddle, didn't help matter much. His heart was still beating a mile a minute, as he rushed home as fast as he could, which wasn't nearly fast enough.

As one could expect, Antony was very unhappy to have his shopping cart ride cut short. Needless to say he was rather uncooperative in the whole getting home fast ordeal. The little boy was protesting wildly, as he was being carried out to the car and strapped into his car seat. He then spent the entire drive home, kicking the back of the seat in front of him, while screaming his lungs out.

Edward left the fuming child in the car and tossed the car keys at Emmett, who had been foreseeing enough to meet up with them down by the parking lot. Edward would later learn that his brother had actually been down there for several reasons. The main one being that Emmett had taken it upon himself to personally escort the 'lovely' Mrs. Dwyer out of the building. At this point in time though, Edward was just too worked up to question the 'why's' and the 'how's'.

He needed to get to Bella, needed to know that she was alright. As he barged through the door of his brother's apartment he was beyond relieved to find Bella in an upright walking position. She was pacing the room and he quickly assessed that while she was seemingly uninjured and in no immediate pain, she was most definitely agitated and upset about something. Not a good state to be in for someone with blood pressure issues.

Crossing the room in two swift strides, he stopped before her and opened up his arms, inviting her into a hug. Her response was not what he expected, though. She just stood there unmoving with a devastated look on her face and when he tried to ask her what was wrong, she burst into tears, hiding her face in her hands.

He pulled her trembling form into a tight embrace and held her close as she cried over yet another fight with her mother. Moving them to couch, Edward had her lay down with her head on his chest. She went from sobbing so bad she could hardly talk, to bombarding him with an unhealthy amount of regret filled apologies and then it was back too crying again.

"Don't!" he repeated for the umpteenth time, as he hugged her tighter to him, hushing her snivels against his shirt.

"Yeah, but-…:" Bella choked out, voice weak and raw from all the crying. She had finally calmed down enough to give him a rundown of her conversation with her mother and now she was back to apologizing again.

"Don't blame yourself! We've been over this before," Edward added after a beat of silence, much more softly this time, but no less definite. "There was no way you could've known. It's not like we PLANNED on starting a family. If we had, we could've taken the steps to get you off your meds before we tried to conceive. Honestly, I really don't blame you at all."

"But you should," she tried to argue, in a shaky huff. "You had no idea I was even on those meds to begin with. I didn't tell you. You should hate me. Why don't you hate me?" she choked bitterly. "I'm a monster, Edward. My mother is right. I should have told you sooner."

"Your mother is one manipulative, selfish woman, who seems to knows exactly what buttons to push," he said with more calm assurance than he felt. "She was wrong though, wasn't she? She automatically assumed you hadn't told me anything about those antidepressants and the potential risks. That goes to show how little she really knows about us and our relationship."

"I didn't tell you…."

"That's not true. You did tell me, just not straight away."

"Exactly! I can't believe I didn't think to mention it until we went through that nerve-racking, fetal heart ultrasound thingy. I can't believe I didn't think to tell you sooner. It's inexcusable really."

"Considering how long it took you to tell me you were pregnant in the first place, I'm not surprised. There were lots of things we didn't talk about that we should have addressed. There still are. It's a work in progress. We're a work in progress."

Speaking of work….He paused to check the time on his phone, 10:13 it read, they were officially in a bit of a time crunch now. By his estimation, the first guests would be knocking on the door within an hour. However, while there were probably a ton of details and last minute preparations waiting to be sorted, he did not have the heart to deny Bella this moment of honesty and of clarity. It was obvious she needed to get out whatever she'd been holding in.

"I should have told you sooner," she insisted stubbornly.

"Yeah well… Ideally we should be able to tell each other anything and everything without hesitation or without worrying what the other will think, act, say, do... " he agreed, gently stroking her head in a comforting motion. "But I get why it was pushed to the back of your mind. I'm not mad, I'm just…worried."

He saw her face fall and he realized that she'd probably taken him too literally. "Not about birth defects or anything like that," he quickly corrected himself. "I just meant that I worry about your blood pressure spiking. You've been so good about resting and taking care of yourself lately. I'd hate to see this stress set you back. That's all."

"Yeah, about that," she began, her voice soft and apologetic. "I'm sorry I lost my temper. She's my mother and I'm supposed to know how to deal with her, but her behavior lately makes me so MAD. It's like she steals all the energy in the room and uses it up herself. "

"I'm the one that should be apologizing. I'm sorry I left you alone to deal with Renee today of all days. I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you."

"You should be glad you missed it." She gave a humorless laugh. "I bet she waited until she knew I was alone. I bet she did that on purpose."

"I'm not betting against you. I'm totally in your ring corner on this one." He laced his fingers with hers, and laid their clasped hands on his heart. They stayed like that for a couple minutes, enjoying the sound of each others breathing, before Edward spoke again.

"So, what do you suggest we do now? With the rest of the day I mean?"

"Well, the first thing that comes to mind is a nap," was her brilliant response, then after giving it some more thought she changed it to "Shower first, then sleep."

"Sounds great. One slight problem with that plan, though," he told her, keeping his voice soft and soothing. "We have guests arriving, in less than an hour."

"Oh shit!" Bella muttered. "The party… the cake!" She pushed herself up on the couch, pulling Edward up with her. "Where are the groceries? Actually, forget the groceries. Where is Tony? You didn't leave him at the store when you rushed back here, did you?"

"No, of course not," he replied with automatic indignation. "Emmett's got him. I'm surprised we haven't heard anything from them. They are usually rather loud whenever they get together."

"Maybe… hopefully Em fed him and got him down for a nap," Bella suggested, hastily combing her hair with her fingers. "If not, we're in for a looong afternoon."

"Lovely," Edward groaned. "He threw a proper fit in the car earlier," he admitted as he got to his feet and held his hand out to help her up. "Screaming bloody murder like the good little monster he is."

"Guess we'll have one cranky, tired little boy on our hands then."

"Yeah," he sighed. "Look, my family will be fine with whatever we decide. We can cancel, postpone or whatever... Tony won't notice, or care, either. He's just stoked his grandparents are in town. I'm sure they'll be delighted to take him out for ice cream or something."

"We can't do that. It's too late to cancel now. They'll be so disappointed, the rest of the kids. They are probably already on their way over."

"The rest of the kids? Just how many kids did you invite, exactly?"

"Well…. you said it wouldn't be a proper party with only two kids, so I asked Rosalie to help me invite six of Elliott's little buddies from daycare …. "

"So six extra kids, with at least one parent each. Lovely!" Edward groaned and rubbed his hands over his face.

"Besides, we can't postpone it a second time," Bella went on like she hadn't heard him. "What kind of parents are we, if we can't pull off something as simple as a birthday party?"

"Dead, tired ones?"

"I have to finish that cake. I owe him that much. He deserves a party and a fabulous cake."

"I have to finish that cake. I owe him that much. He deserves a party and a fabulous cake," Bella insisted stubbornly.

After all, it was her fault that they hadn't been able to celebrate Tony on his actual birthday. She'd passed out after experiencing a minor dizzy spell and Edward had insisted bringing her to the ER. They'd ended up spending the entire day at the hospital and that was no way for any child to spend their birthday.

"I have to do this. I've got the icing and sugar paste in the fridge. I just need the kiwis and the green grapes and then for decoration I -…"

"No, stop! You don't have to do anything," Edward interrupted her before she got herself worked up any further. "You just need to rest. Please, lay down again."

"Don't have to do anything?" Bella asked incredulously. "The kitchen is a mess and we still need something resembling a cake… preferably green and preferably monster-scary."

"I'll give mom a call. I'm sure she can sort out the cake situation."

"It's not-… Okay, that might actually work," she relented, seeing the no-nonsense look on Edward's face. "She'll have to come over straight away, though. I'll have to make a sketch and-… "

"We'll figure it out. How hard can it be to make a green monster cake?"

"Ha, I'd like to see you try!" She slapped his shoulder.

"If it was up to me, I would have ordered a nice little cake, from a nice little bakery, like I suggested two weeks ago."

"Yeah, but you also said we'd be having this party in our new house…. and look how well that worked out," she shot back.

"Low blow," he muttered. "Not my fault the plumbing was such a disaster."

"I know, I know…. leaky pipes and poorly sealed drains... Give me your phone," she ordered him. He gave her a questioning look, but handed it over none the less.

"I'll talk to your mother. You should check on Tony and make sure your brother isn't too traumatized. We'll need him to entertain the youngins later."

"Right, okay…," he agreed. "Just do me a favor and stay off your feet for a while, alright?"

"I'll certainly try," she promised, knowing his concern was both genuine and well-founded.

.

…..

.


	3. Chapter 3 – Little monsters

AN: I'm digging Eminem's 'The Monster' at the moment. You might not see it yet, but Rihanna's chorus kind of fits with where this story is heading. The 'crazy' part and the 'trying to save someone' part…hint, hint…

.

_I'm friends with the monster_

_That's under my bed_

_Get along with the voices inside of my head_

_You're trying to save me_

_Stop holding your breath_

_And you think I'm crazy_

_Yeah, you think I'm crazy (crazy)_

.

Anyway, here is the next chapter….

Oh and one more thing Elliott is Emmett and Rosalie's son and Anthony's cousin. He's about a year older, give or take a few months, he's more talkative and quite the little trouble maker…

.

...

.

**Chapter 3 – Little monsters**

.

"Goodness, this is gold! Rose, are you recording this?" Esme laughed, watching her youngest grandson destroy yet another slice of cake with his bare hands. Cousin Elliott soon followed suit, of course, much to the delight of the other children around the table. They looked like they were seconds away from a proper cake fight and Emmett and Carlisle were having their hands full with… well, cake and sticky toddler limbs, trying to keep everyone in their seats.

"I think we can agree the cake was a hit," Esme continued to gush. Then, in almost the same breath, she was forced to intervene as frosting was being smeared where it shouldn't be smeared. "No, no. Don't do that, sweetie. The cake's supposed to go in your tummy, not in your friend's noses and ears."

"See, big hit," she repeated, as she returned to stand by Bella's side. "They love it."

"They love playing with it, sure, but are they eating it?" Bella pointed out with a sigh. The sticky, sugary goo that didn't end up on their hands and clothes, ended up on the floor. The clean-up would be a nightmare.

Esme was laughing again, "Don't worry! They are having fun that's the important thing."

"I think it's the kiwis. Either you love 'em or you don't," Alice suggested, as she squeezed past them on her way to put the newly filled pitcher of lemonade on the table. "You know kids… They have aversion against anything unfamiliar, or green, or anything that's even remotely healthy."

"That is very true," Rosalie agreed, lowering the camera. "The candy to kiwi ratio is simply too low to appease such a young crowd. You know I like my boys to eat healthy, but I don't see occasional sugar as the enemy. Birthdays should be special and fun."

"Actually," Alice cut in, "I'm sure you can buy sugar free sprinkles in every color imaginable, even green."

"But Tony absolutely loves Kiwi," Bella pouted. She had tried extra hard to make sure everything would be perfect, but apparently she had failed. Apparently a birthday party was never truly a success without a bout of sugar induced coma. "He wanted a green cake, but he has all these allergies and I've read that several common artificial food colorings have been flagged as possible allergens …. I just-…I tired-…"

"I'm sure that wasn't meant a critique, dear," Esme patted her shoulder. "There is nothing wrong with the cake. I've tasted it and it's delicious. You did well with the base and the fillings and the birthday boy had a blast when we decorated it. Just like he's having a blast right now, and that's all that matters. "

"Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry I'm being such a downer," Bella muttered. As much as she hated to admit it, she was still a bit affected from what had gone down with Renee earlier that morning. "I want him to have a fabulous day." Instinctively Bella's gaze went to the little boy was sitting in his father's lap, drinking in everything happening around him with enormous pale green, almost grey, all-seeing eyes. "I just wish he wasn't so scared of interacting with the other kids."

As the day progressed it had become increasingly apparent that Tony was in one of his weirdly needy moods, the kind where he clung to his father for dear life. Every time Edward made the slightest move to step back, he'd throw a fit, because apparently today the only thing the kid wanted was to be by his daddy's side.

These moods of his would switch every so often. He would go from wanting nothing to do with Edward, there were actually a lot of days when he was perfectly content with playing on his own, or with his little cousin (the two of them had this thing where they would race around the apartment like a pair of lunatics) but there where also days when his mood was the exact opposite and he would throw temper tantrums and cry himself silly if Edward didn't stay within eyesight at all times. Apparently this was one of those days, because while all his little guests (seven other children in the age-group of three to five years), were seated around the awesome monster and magic themed kiddie table (auntie Alice's contribution to the party) Tony had opted to cling to his father, point blank refusing to sit on his own.

"My Annie was shy like that too, before we placed her in day-care. I bet you next year he'll be the life of the party," one of the other moms suddenly spoke up.

Alice's living room wasn't big enough to fit all the guests, so while a few selected relatives were watching over the kids, the rest of the grown ups were seated in the kitchen or taking turns hovering in the doorway. It was a set up that didn't leave much room for private conversations.

"Why aren't you sitting down?" the mom, named Caroline or Carolyn something, asked. "Here take my chair you look like you could use it, " she offered, getting up from the table. "I remember when my feet looked like yours, so swollen I could leave playdoh-like handprints in em, I was miserable."

"Oh, don't remind me," Rosalie was chuckling somewhere in the background. "Once, towards the end my hubby had to help me cut my socks off with a pair of scissors. My ankles were twice their normal size and my toes looked like little sausages."

"I got stretch marks on my knees," another voice spoke up, contributing to the conversation. Bella didn't bother to look who it was. She knew what came next. Soon they would be discussing how long they had all been in labor. Get enough new (or newish) moms together and they would start to share birth stories and there were always one or two that were just horrible.

"Thanks for freeing up a chair for me, but I think I'm gonna go…. " she crossed her legs, making the universal a I-have-to-pee gesture and then hurriedly wobbled out of the room.  
.

…

.

"How's it going?" Carlisle, asked offering a can of soda.

"You tell me, " Edward shrugged, accepting the cold beverage, feeling quite flustered with so many things happening at such a fast pace around him. "I don't have much experience with these kind of gatherings. Are they suppose to make this much noise?"

"Yes, the more noise they make the more fun they are having."

"I suspected as much. I just though the little girls would be more manageable," Edward muttered, bending down to prevent a little curly-haired, redheaded troublemaker from crashing into a table. "Slow down, princess! You'll hurt yourself," he tried to warn her, but he barely got the word out before she was off again. "Guess I was wrong," he concluded, straightening his back again.

"No two children are alike, as you soon will be made aware of. They are little individuals with unique personalities from the very beginning," Carlisle smiled. "Elliott's first proper three-word sentence was 'You're nuts, daddy', while Tony probably asked-…"

"…if he could have fries with his ice cream," Edward finished the sentence for him with a rollof his eyes.

"Or more cookies in his cereal," Carlisle suggested. "But enough about the grandbabies. How are you doing? Everything going good?"

"I'm good. Tired of course," Edward admitted, pulling the tab open and then raising the can to his lips. "I'm not used to doing this much manual labor, but the house is shaping up great," he added in between taking sips of the fizzy liquid.

"The house looks great. The amount of work you've put in is very apparent. It's impressive really," Carlisle clasped his hand on his son's shoulder. "Didn't know you had it in you."

"Neither did I," Edward laughed. "Never expected it would require this much work."

"Just make sure you take time to recharge your batteries. Enjoy the now and the present; because once it's gone it's never coming back."

"I know, I know. It's just that I'm sort of faced with a deadline that can't be pushed back. I need the house to be ready before the baby comes. In fact, with Bella's high blood pressure, she'll probably go into labor early. There is not much I can do about that." He shrugged his shoulders and took another sip from the can.

"All the more reason for you to make sure you're both well rested and in a good place, relationship wise."

"Yeah, maybe…" Edward frowned and turned to look at his father. "You offering relationships advice now?"

"Well, consider this… You won't be getting a lot of sleep the first few weeks, especially not if you have the crib in your room-… "

"Stop right there, you sneaky bastard. You're no better than mom," Edward exclaimed, his voice hushed, yet seething with accusation.

"Excuse me?"

"She's been harassing me with catalogues and pictures of bedroom sets and his and hers sinks for the en-suite and so on… You're just trying to figure out if the relationship has progressed into something more meaningful. Or if we're still just doing it for the kids." He made air quotes with both hands at the end.

"Sorry son. Don't mean to pry, we're just curious… and concerned." Carlisle held his hands up in surrender and apology. "It's obviously non of our business, but since we're already on the subject…. I mean, if you don't mind me asking…"

"You realize we're surrounded by a swarm of preschoolers, right? I'm not comfortable getting into this discussion here. Besides, I thought Alice was keeping you updated."

"Alice and Emmett both, actually," Carlisle smirked and shook his head. "I've been informed that you've slept on your brother's couch on more than one occasion. And also, I've heard you guys quit couples therapy after only three sessions… What's up with that? I'll settle for the short and PG rated version, if you're mor comfortable with that."

"Fine," Edward sighed, giving in. "Long story short, I'm one stubborn, moody bastard and Bella has always been fiercely independent. That's not going to change just overnight and about those therapy sessions…. The timing to start something like that right now, with all the hormones flying and the stress of getting the house ready… It didn't feel very productive."

"Edward…?" As if summoned from his thoughts, Bella appeared before them, bouncing a clearly exhausted Tony carefully on her hip. The two wore matching face paint – tiger inspired, of course.

"Edward, your phone is ringing," she said, placing the vibrating phone in his hand. "I'd answer it, but it's an unknown number and I didn't know if you were still waiting to hear from the plumber about those pipes, so…" she trailed of, hoisting the child further up on her hip.

"No, that's okay. I'll take it," Edward sprung into action, secretly elated to have an excuse to end the previous conversation. "Dad, some help would be nice," he gestured with a vague flop of his hand. Vague or not, his father seemed to know exactly what he meant.

"I'm on it, son. I'm on it," Carlisle waved him off and then held his arms out, turning his full attention to Bella.

"Let me take the birthday boy from you," he suggested with a warm smile. "He's such a big boy now, three years old, far too heavy for you to be carrying around like this."

"Don't you start too. I get enough of that from Edward," Bella warned, but handed over the child into his waiting arms. "I only just picked him up. He's being a complete daddy's boy today. So if he gets cranky you'll know why," she said, ruffling the little boys hair. "Show Papa C your tattoo, Tony."

"A tattoo?" Carlisle asked with genuine, but also a slightly exaggerated, enthusiasm, to which the boy burrowed his face in his grandfathers shirt.

"No way! I thought tattoos were for big boys."

"Jaz totoo me, isa dog. No grrr," the little boy informed his granddad shyly, while sticking his hand out for him to examine his fake rub-on tattoo.

"Look at that," Carlisle smiled, turning to Bella for translation.

"Uncle Jasper is in charge of the tattoos. He's out of tigers, so Tony picked a dog tattoo instead."

"Really? A dog, that's cool. I've always wanted a tattoo. You think Jasper might have one for me too?"

"I don't know…." Bella pretended to consider it carefully for a moment. "What do you think, kiddo?"

"I say hava dog like mine," Tony decided with a giggle.

"Alright that settles it. Come on tiger, lets go see if we can find your uncle Jazz."

.  
…

.

"Bella, can I speak with you?"

"Huh?"

Bella had been sitting on the couch staring at nothing when Edward's voice broke through her mindless preoccupation.

"Can I speak with you?" he repeated, shaking her shoulder.

She blinked her eyes back into focus and nodded. Wow, she must be REALLY out of it if she spaced out in a room full of screaming and wrestling children. How much time had passed? Five, ten, fifteen minutes? She glanced around until she spotted Anthony. The boy was still curled up in Carlisle's arms, seemingly still in a happy, contented mood. Probably no more than ten minutes then, she concluded. Also, Edward still had his phone out, so….

"In private." Edwards snapped, his sharp tone of voice had her jerking to attention

"Of course. Let me just get up and…" She rocked forward, trying to get to her feet, but couldn't seem to quite make the last push necessary for standing. "Just uh, let me try that again."

Normally Edward never missed an opportunity to tease her over the way her center of gravity never seemed to be where she expected it to be. This time however, he simply grabbed her hands and wordlessly pulled her up. His facial expression was unreadable, but she thought she saw tension in his shoulders.

"Edward? What's going on?"

"Something's come up. Come on, we need to talk."

Before she had time to process his words, Bella found herself being dragged across the room, through the hallway and then out the door. He didn't stop until they reached the stairwell.

"Sit," he ordered, gently backing her up against a windowsill so that she had no other choice but to comply. The stone surface was unpleasantly cold to touch, and right on the heels of that realization, she was hit another one.

"It's Renee, isn't it? Did she call? Is she here again? I swear she never-…"

"Oh, no, no, nothing like that," he hurried to interrupt her, "I got this really strange phone call, not from your mother though. The thing is, the call was more weird than anything else. We need to straighten a few things out, that's all."

"Who was the caller? What is this about?"

"T.T and P, the moving company." He looked her full in the face as he said it, watching for a reaction. "Apparently they have people outside your apartment waiting for someone to let them in so that they can start loading the boxes."

"W-What?" she asked, because what else was she supposed to ask? "What boxes?"

"Exactly. Did you make arrangements with anyone? I know you told me you signed up for more self storage, but I didn't realize you had already made concrete plans."

"No, I haven't. There are no concrete plans," she shook her head. "No boxes ready to be moved, no concrete plans, no arrangements made. I don't know anything about this. You sure it wasn't a wrong number call?"

"They had your name and my phone number. They are currently outside your apartment asking where the boxes are that we want to have moved to our new house. They've got both addresses down correctly, so no definitely not a case of wrong number."

"You're kidding me?" she sighed, trying to make sense of the situation.

"Do I look like I'm kidding," her replied with a shake of his head. "Listen, you said you were going to look into the cost and that-…"

"Yeah, I know I said that and I did look into it. I've spoken with several moving companies. I even asked for quotes from two of them, but I haven't agreed to anything.. "

"Are you sure?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course I'm sure," she huffed angrily.

"I'm sorry, it's just… You've been a bit forgetful lately. Like with that appointment for Tony that you rescheduled the other week and then completely forgot you'd even made the call."

"Don't insult my intelligence. I've not agreed to, or ordered anything, from this company and I've most definitely not discussed any specific dates with any of the moving companies I've been in contact with. Why would I have picked this date, when I haven't gotten around to pack anything yet?"

He stared at her silently for three long breaths, then answered, "Alright, I guess there must be some sort of misunderstanding then."

"No misunderstanding. It sounds to me like they're trying to scam us. Give me the phone. I'll set them straight," she all but growled, having had enough of this strange situation. "This is illegal, you know, this thing they are trying to pull."

"No, go check on Tony. I'll handle this, " Edward decided quickly. "I just wanted to know what you had told them before I spoke with them again."

"Nothing!" Bella exclaimed and threw her hands up in the air. "I've told them nothing!"

"Okay, I just wanted to make sure." He put his hands on her shoulders and tilted her face to look into her eyes. "I'll sort it out. Don't worry about it."

.

….

.

"That was the last one. I think," Esme said handing over a cute, wooden toy train.

Edward accepted the toy and gave her an one-armed hug. "Thanks mom. I can take it from here."

"If you want, we'd be delighted to stay and baby-sit for you," she suggested hopefully. "You could treat Bella to a nice dinner…"

"Can I take a rain check?" he laughed and pulled away. "I don't think we have the energy for going out tonight."

"Of course, honey," she agreed as she followed him into the hallway. "We're here for another three days. Carlisle has his conference on Friday and then we're meeting up for drinks with some business associates on Saturday."

"So, Sunday then."

"Sunday it is," she confirmed, accepting her coat from Carlisle. "We will see each other tomorrow morning though, Edward. Bright and early," she reminded him patting his cheek. "You still need to decide on what doors to get and also, we need to figure out how to fix the squeak in stairs."

"You're such a slave driver," Edward complained, getting an agreeing hum from his father.

"I'm still your mother, you know. It's my job to boss you around," Esme laughed. "You need someone to kick you in the butt every now and then."

"Funny how I get that from all the females in my life. Are you ganging up on me?"

"Of course we are," Alice piped in as she, Jasper and Tony appeared in the doorway.

"Well, this was fun," Jasper smirked in that sarcastic manner that he had mastered ever since high school.

Edward rolled his eyes in response, "It sure was, annnnd we get to do it again next year."

"Yay," Alice cheered, mock-tackling her brother. "Wait until your daughter is old enough to ask you to throw her a princess tea party, daddy! We will have so much fun with that."

"Shut up," he grumbled, pretending to pummel her with his fists.

"Children, children," Carlisle appeared behind them, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. "I hate to break this up, but the cab isn't going to wait forever."

"Call me tomorrow morning, Bella, so we can set up our girls night out," Alice instructed, blowing Anthony a kiss.

"Girls night out?" Edward quirked an eyebrow.

"We're doing a spa evening," Bella explained, hugging first Esme then Alice. "It was either that or a shopping spree…. "

"I see," he muttered through clenched teeth, like he was not quite happy with what he was hearing.

"You have objections to that?" Bella asked, giving him a brief glance, as they stood there side by side in the doorway, seeing their guests off like the proper little family unit that they had become.

"No," was Edwards clipped response. Lifting Tony off the floor, he instructed him to wave goodbye to his relatives as they piled into the elevator.

"You're still bummed about that cancellation fee?" she guessed, keeping the smile on her face. The automatic doors were painfully slow and four pairs of curious eyes were still fixed on them.

"I'm not bummed."

"You should have let me speak with them. That company is a rip off. I could have gone over there and showed them my badge-…"

"Don't be ridiculous. I know you have excellent badge waving skills, but you've gotta choose your battles," he laughed. Then as the elevator finally began its descent, he added, "I'll let you handcuff me to the bed tonight, if that makes you feel any better."

"It totally does actually, thanks!" she smirked, kissing his cheek.

.

…..  
.

An: Is there really such a thing as pregnant-brain? You really get THAT forgetful? I've never been pregnant so I wouldn't know, but googling it, I get the impression it really is true... That's kind of scary because I have terrible short term memory as it is...


	4. Chapter 4 - One of those days

**AN: **Last chapter was a new bottom low for me as far as reviews are concerned… Was it really that bad? Usually, cutie pie Tony is what brings in the reviews… hm, well that and the more.. .shall we say steamier chapters. As a pure coincidence, I happen to have bathroom sex scene written for you, so without further ado… here is chapter four…

Do me a favor and let me know what you think of it!

.

.

**Chapter 4 - One of those days**

.

"You sure you're okay?" Edward asked Bella, placing a hand on the small of her back as he reached around her to put Tony's cup and plate in the sink.

"It's nothing, " she sighed and shifted her weight a little. She was standing in the kitchen, with her laptop set up on the counter. She'd found that standing up and stretching for at least five minutes every hour, helped with the blood circulation in her hands and feet. "I'm just achy."

"Your back?" he guessed. "Is it hurting again?"

"Just a little bit." she shrugged. "It's been a long, tiresome day, but other than that…," she cuts herself off with a yawn."…I'm fine."

"When's your next appointment?" he asked, moving carefully around her until her backside was facing him.

"With my obstetrician? On the thirteenth, I think… " she trailed off, letting herself be engulfed by his presence.

"That's more than a week away."

Bella could practically hear the frown in his voice.

"It is, but I'm seeing the chiropractor in two days time though. I'll feel much better once I get that stubborn nerve unpinched again."

"In the meanwhile, how about a little massage? I've been told my back rubs are out of this world." Edward moved his hands to her back, gently kneading the tense muscles.

"They really are," Bella sighed in content.

"If you like, I can run you a nice hot bath? You can have a long soak while I get Tony changed and ready for sleep."

"I'd love that," she moaned as Edwards fingers found a particularly tight knot to work on. "Be warned tough, I can't promise I won't fall asleep and drown, if you leave me to my own device in a bath tub full of water."

"I guess I'll have to supervise then. I hear drowning is bad for your health," Edward mused, his fingers moving higher to massage her neck and shoulders lightly in circles. "Actually, I can't believe you're still standing at this point."

"I know," she closed her eyes and rolled her shoulders to meet his hands. "I feel like I could sleep a week and then maybe need a nap after that."

"I'll try and get the kid down quickly and then if you still feel like it, we'll get to that bath."

When he kissed the top of her head, she opened her eyes again and gazed up at him.

"That's a deal," she agreed, just as her stomach growled loudly. "Pretend you didn't hear that," she laughed and Edward smiled a crooked smile.

"Just don't eat all the left over cake, pumpkin," he teased. "I know those kiwi's got your name written all over them, but try to restrain yourself."

"Funny, mock the pregnant one, why don't you," she stuck her tongue out at him and shoved him out of the room.

.

….

.

Edward quietly shut the door behind him, careful not to make any noise that would disturb the utterly exhausted, yet barely asleep child. The boy's aversion to settling down and going to sleep in an actual bed at night, was still going strong. Sometimes it was just easier to let him crash on the couch and transfer him to bed.

Edward tiptoed through the hallway and then stepped into the kitchen; it was dark and empty. No Bella in sight. However, a colorful string of swear words alerted him to her whereabouts.

He found her in the living room, literally banging her head against the palm of her hand, while muttering all sorts of profanities under her breath.

Clearly she hadn't heard him come in, because she jumped as he as he laid his hand on her shoulder.

"What's up? You sound a little… edgy," he pointed out, against better judgement, fully expecting to get chewed out for commenting on her mood.

"Stupid password. Stupid sign-in," she gestured dramatically at the laptop screen.

She tried typing something, paused, and then tried again. "I must be having a complete, mental blackout right now, because nothing works."

"Happens to the best of us. Are sure you don't have Caps Lock on?"

"First thing I checked. And resetting it doesn't help either." She shot him a glare that told him in no uncertain terms that her patience was depleting. "Why—won't—this-work?" she punched in one more combination and hit enter. "I could have sworn this password is the same as the one to my Spotify account. Bet someone hacked it, just to mess with me."

"Your work email, really?" Edward peered over her shoulder with renewed interest.

"No, " she yawned and pushed the laptop away. "It's just my private Gmail, but it's still annoying. I feel like I'm two seconds away from a flat-on-the-floor-kicking-and-screaming-tantrum and that over something as silly as a forgotten password."

"Sleep on it. Maybe it'll come to you in the morning." Moving around the chair, he offered a hand to help her up.

"Sleep? Love, I do believe that you promised me a bath, bubbles and all," she reminded him with a little smirk thrown over her shoulder as she waddled out of the room.

"Did I now?" He laughed, his finger tapping his chin. "I don't seem to recall such a promise. I seem to remember something about handcuffs, but in the bathtub?…that sounds dangerous, not to mention uncomfortable. You sure you wouldn't rather head straight to bed?"

"Forget the handcuffs. I need that bath. I deserve that bath. You've gotta let me have that bath!"

"Well, alright then, a bath it is."

.

…..

.

"You falling asleep on me, Swan?" Edward asked, splashing a little water on her shoulder, watching it run down over her skin.

"Nope, still awake," Bella sighed, leaning back against his chest.

They had been soaking in the bath for a while now, talking about nothing in particular, and simply just enjoying the warmth of the water and the softness of each other's bodies. Because of course, Edward hadn't been able to pass up the opportunity to get in the tub himself. Supervising bath time was an important task, not to take lightly. Besides, lately all he had time for were quick showers and wash-ups, so the idea of taking an actual real bath had seemed very tempting. Though, if he was being honest with himself, the biggest draw had not been the bath itself, but the anticipation of all the naked skin that would be exposed.

"One of those days, eh?"he sighed, nudging her shoulder.

"Yep," she agreed. "It's been one of those days."

"I feel like maybe I was a bit brusque before. I-…" he started saying, but hesitated for a moment. "That thing with the movers…. I didn't mean-…"

"That's okay. It's already forgotten," Bella cut inquickly, obviously not feeling particularly in the mood for a serious conversation.

"Also, we never had a chance to really finish our talk before about your mother, but I trust that if there is anything I can do, you will let me know me, right?" Edward placed a kiss a top the crown of Bella's head, holding her as close to his chest as was possible in the snug bathtub.

"Come on...Tony is asleep and we finally have some alone time... do you REALLY want to spend that time talking about Renee?" Bella asked him with a smirk.

"What, you've got other ideas?" Edward murmured as he dragged his fingers through the water and watched as the bubbles parted for him. Her naked were breasts barely visible beneath the surface, but her heightened sense of excitement was very evident in her pointy nipples.

"Maybe…." Bella touched his chin and pressed her lips to his cheek. "Maybe we should wash each other," she suggested.

"OOoo. Great idea! I love getting soaped up and scrubbed down," Edward grinned, feeling around for the soap.

"I'll do you first, Bella offered, running a hand over his chest. "You did me first, last time."

"Nope, no way. I've got this. You be a good girl and wait for your turn."

He started with her neck and shoulders, running his hands along her smooth skin, leaving a trail of bubbles behind.

Bella pretended to pout, but her eyes soon got that little glint Edward knew so well.

Next, he washed her arms and back, followed by her legs. She squirmed, shifting against him as he worked his way up her calves and up to the apex at her thighs. Instead of going for her soft moundthough, he gently washed first her swollen abdomen and then her chest, caressing her breasts with his slippery soap covered hands.

She was so responsive. She was hot, wet, and writhing beneath his fingers. She couldn't seem to stay still, nor did she seem to want to.

"There isn't enough room," she moaned breathlessly as she slipped around inside the porcelain tub, sliding her body against his.

Her eager little hands groped at him until she had a firm grip on his rear. He found himself groaning aloud, as she deliberately and recklessly brushed herself against his throbbing arousal.

Water was splashing over the edgeand onto the floorwith her every move. She was right there wasn't much room.

"Room for what?" he had to ask though, or moan, as she continued to rub herself against him.

"Not enough room for me to do you properly," she giggled. Releasing her loving hold on his bum she kissed his chest and began rising up from the tub. "You did say I'd get my turn later."

"Ooooh okay," Edward sucked in his breath, watching her breasts bounce and jiggle in the most distracting way. "That's not necessarily what I meant, and not necessarily necessary, but if you insist… I'm not picky about the setting. I'm sure some place roomier and dryer, like the bed, will do just fine," he assured her as he hurried to follow her out of the tub.

The floor was wet and he didn't want her to slip and fall, but when he tried to put an arm around her, she escaped with a pinch to his side, hard enough to make him squeal.

"You were so hoping to get sexed up tonight though. Don't deny it," She threw him a towel, while she grabbed one for herself.

"Oh Swan, I'm wounded,"he said, feigning a hurt look. "You think that's the only reason I suggested a bath?"

"Well, isn't it?" she began with a tilt of her head, her wet curls resting on one shoulder. She opened her towel to him and stepped in closer, as if to kiss him, but instead of doing so, she let her voice drop to a husky whisper, "You sure look like you enjoyed it," and gave his raging erection a playful tug.

"You're so impatient when you're horny," he laughed, groping for her towel. "Come on, it's slippery in here. Let's get dry and into bed."

"But I like you wet… and naked…. and wrapped around me. Lose the towel, Cullen."

"Impatient and bossy," he groaned, but compiled to her request, wrapping her up in a naked, head-to toe, side-to-front, body embrace.

Within seconds, both their towels were forgotten on the floor. Hands roamed freely and lips explored hungrily as they lost themselves in pleasure.

They made love right there on the thick, plush, non-slip bathroom carpet. Everything felt so wet, fast paced and slick, yet so slow and gentle and deliberate. Their bodies were clinging together as they reaffirmed their commitment and devotion for each other.

Just one of those days, eh…

.

…..

.


	5. Chapter – 5 Calm before the storm

**Chapter 5 - Calm before the storm**

.

"He's picked out hideous electrical outlet covers," Bella mouthed, pointing to her phone. "Give me another minute to sort this, yeah?"

"That's alright, take your time. I think we're all set," Alice replied, taking her scarf off the coat rack, draping it around her neck. "You two got your jackets on?" she asked, looking down at her little nephews.

"Yup," Elliott nodded and smiled, as he patted the front of his jacket with his wool-clad hands.

"Excellent. What about shoes?"

Again, Elliott was the one to answer her. "Got boots," he said, lifting a foot to show off his snow boots, motioning for his younger cousin to do the same.

"Tony, sweetheart, do you want me to help you with your mittens?" Alice asked.

The boy answered with a nod holding out his hands, his fleece mittens dangling from the strings that held them to his winter jacket.

"There, all done. Hope you've got your hats on tight. It's chilly today."

"Auntieee Al, I got a hoodie," Elliott sighed, as if he was dealing with someone particularly stupid and slow.

"Oh, good. You think that will be enough?" she asked, not having missed the beanie shoved halfway into his pocket.

"Uh-Uh… Can we go play now?"

"What about snacks? Did you pack any snacks?"

"We'll buy snacks, silly," Elliott giggled, and started hopping from foot to foot. The boy had clearly reached his limits as far as standing still was concerned. "Come on, let's go Alliiii," he demanded, making a beeline for the door.

"Not so fast!" Alice intervened, hurrying to secure the door with the extra deadbolt. Something she should have done from the start, but of course had forgotten all about, in the general excitement of getting the boys ready for some fun in the park.

The deadbolt was just out of reach for Elliott, but that didn't stop him from trying to reach it anyway, jumping up and down like a mad circus dog.

"Gosh... you're getting all sweaty and we're not even outside yet," Alice laughed, ushering the boys away from the door. "Now, where were we?" She wasn't exactly expecting an answer to that question, so it came as a surprise when she heard a small voice saying, "Hava cookie?!"

She looked down and saw Tony tugging at her hand. "Right, snacks. Thanks for reminding me, buddy. We're definitely going to need something to snack on."

"I've put some animal crackers and apple slices in Tony's backpack," Bella supplied helpfully, as she appeared in the kitchen doorway, phone still glued to her ear. "Look on the side table by the door."

"Crackers and apples, that will do, right boys?"

"No apples," Elliott shook his head vigorously and then exclaimed "I say hot dogs," with great excitement and threw himself at his auntie's legs.

"Hot dogs, huh?" Alice laughed, trying to catch him. She wasn't fast enough to stop the child, who was back to bouncing around like circus dog on speed. He kept it up until he collided with a pair of shoes. Loosing his balance he toppled but first onto the floor.

"And you're calling me silly, silly," Alice tickled Elliott under his chin and then gave the younger of the two cousins the same treatment.

"What do you say, Tony? You want hot dogs too?"

"An a cookie," the boy nodded seriously.

"And a cookie. I think I can swing that. Listen, sweeties. I need you to wait right here for a second. I'm just gonna check with Bella about those hot dogs, alright?!" Alice instructed, before dashing into the kitchen, knowing she had about half a minute to work with before those two boys would be wreaking havoc again.

"Hey B, I just remembered Tony's allergies. Should I bring his EpiPen?"

"It's already in the backpack, small pocket in the front."

"Thanks! Nuts and strawberries, right?"

Bella held up a hand as if to say something, but then rolled her eyes and repeated, for the umpteenth time, "Not brass, Edward. Anything else is fine, just not brass," into the phone. "Now, hold on one sec, while I speak to Al," she added, muting the phone without waiting for the response.

"You two are so cute," Alice shook her head, suppressing a laughter. "Bickering like an old-..."

"Old married couple … Yeah, yeah, whatever, "she shrugged her off. "Let's focus on Anthony and his allergies… Nuts and strawberries. He's gotten rashes from other things too, but unprocessed nuts seem to be what gives him breathing difficulties, so avoid those. And you know we're trying to watch his sugar and carb intake. Hot dogs are okay, but don't let him have fries or ice cream, no matter how much he begs for it, alright?"

"Capiche," Alice saluted her friend and then went to grab Elliott by the hand. "I'll have them back in two hours."

"Rose should be home by then," Bella nodded, following her towards the door. "Edward is only a phone call away and I'll have my phone on too, if you need anything."

"Say bye-bye Bella," Alice sing sang, as she picked up first Tony and then his backpack from the floor.

"There are some extra clothes and diapers in the bag," Bella instructed, as she assisted with the locks. "And wipes. Maybe I should pack some extra socks…."

"Bella, he'll be fine, we're only gonna be gone a few hours, not a week."

"True, but I've got a busy day ahead and might not even get to see him again until tomorrow," Bella pouted. "Bye Tiger," she waved and blew him a kiss.

"Bewa," Tony whined, grabbing for her.

"You be good for your auntie Alice, okay love?"

His bottom lip was wobbling something fierce, but instead of bursting into tears he did the stereotypical baby/toddler backward wave at her.

Alice glanced over at Bella who forced out a shrug in response, "He's in a reasonable mood today, I guess."

"Unlike the other day at his party, you mean?"

"Yeah, something like that."

"Aww, he is getting so big and growing up so fast. Next thing we know, he'll be going off to college."

"Seriously Alice, hurry up and leave before he starts crying, because having to leave him while he is crying is like a knife to the heart, it literally hurts. "

"Geez, you're turning into such a MOM!" Alice laughed, but followed the advice and steered boys towards the elevator.

.

…

.

"You still there?" Bella asked into the phone, returning to the kitchen and her half eaten breakfast.

There were a series of garbled noises, then Edward's voice was heard from the other end of the line.

"You had me waiting seven minutes, SEVEN minutes. I deserve a medal or a prize or something."

"Excuse me, but I was busy seeing YOUR son off," Bella pointed out, as she eased herself back into the chair, ready to pick up the sandwich she had made herself earlier that morning. "The really young one, with separation anxiety and abandonment issues, you remember him, right? He's having his very first parent free play date in the park today."

"Yeah well, sending him off with Alice was your idea, so I'm leaving that for you to handle. Not to sound crass or anything, but I was in the middle of plastering a wall when you called so… can you maybe get to the point already." His tone was irritated, but there was no real bite behind it.

"Not my fault that multitasking is a skill you totally lack," she shot back at him, ignoring the images of a hard working, bare chested Edward flashing through her mind. Because shirtless plastering is a regular thing, right?

"Listen, I was just calling to remind you have to be home by half past three," she informed him, once she had gathered her thoughts again. "You're the one distracting me with all that talk about electrical outlet covers." She took a sip of her tea, instantly making a face, as she found it colder than she would have preferred. "I know it's important, baby proofing the place and all, but you don't mix brass with stainless steel, you just don't, aright! So anyway… We girls need to leave for our spa appointment at four the latest," she added, pushing her cup away. There was no time to reheat it.

"That's today? I thought you were meeting with the real estate agent today?"

"Yes, that's today. I'm signing the paperwork at the realtor's office at ten o'clock and then I'll be heading over to the apartment with the buyers, so that they can do some measuring. After that, I figured I'd get started on sorting through some of my stuff over there. Then the plan is to wind down after a hectic day with some serious pampering."

"Swan, seriously… I wish you would wait, with the packing and boxing up and stuff. I know you; you're going to tear the place apart. I get exhausted just thinking about it."

His sigh was very audible and there was no way she could just ignore it.

"Now you're being ridiculous," she accused, around another bite of sandwich. "I'm not some helpless little housewife that can't do anything without a man around to finish the job."

"That's not what I said," he defended himself. "But you are pregnant and should be resting, relaxing, and napping as much as possible. I don't know if I trust you to know your limits."

"I just want to start straight away, because it's going to take me a while to get through all the stuff. Nothing strenuous, I promise. I've already enlisted your brother for the heavy lifting and as you know the plan is to get a moving company to come in and handle the rest. "

"To be honest, I don't like the idea of you going over there alone."

"How is this any different from me spending my days with a three year old as my only company though? He can be a lot of work you know," she pointed out. Sometimes Edward seemed to forget the constant supervision and the hands-on care required to keep Tony contented and out of trouble.

"It's different because, Emmett or Rose is always around. I feel a lot better when I know they are checking up on you and can offer you help when needed."

"You have appointed me minders. Gee thanks!" she snapped.

Hearing him say stuff like that made her skin crawl, not physically necessarily, but still… She knew he was just being protective, but it was irksome and made her ache for more space and more privacy.

"Listen Edward, I need to leave now, or I'll be late. I promise I'll have my phone with me at all times. You can check on me hourly if you like."

"Okay, I don't like it, but I'm not going to tell you what to do. I've tried that approach, but you always go and do the exact opposite of everything I say, so…."

"How very grand of you." She scrambled to her feet and moved the dishes into the dishwasher. "Now that we got that sorted, any other restrictions you want to unilaterally impose?"

"That's unfair. You make it sound like I'm trying to control you, when all I'm trying to do is remind you to take it easy, because I care."

"I know you care. I'm not being obstinate, just for the sake of being obstinate."

"Then can you please do something about this spa thing at least?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, as she checked her hair in the hall mirror, fluffing it slightly before she moved on to the task of locating her wallet and keys.

"Does it have to be THIS afternoon?"

"Your mother is only here for a limited number of days. You know the only way I can get out of it is to agree to the other S, it's either shopping or spa and this I know I can enjoy at least."

"Alright, but remember how tired you were last night? You know full and well that another busy day like the one we had yesterday will leave you dead on your feet to the point where you'll be unable to function properly."

"Oh really?! You trying to tell me something was off about last night?" she exclaimed, because personally she felt that forcing herself to stay awake, past the limits of her own endurance the night before, had been not only extremely rewarding, but also exactly what her tired mind and soul had needed.

"Admittedly, we didn't quite make it all the way to the bed that first time, but other than that everything was functioning just fine, spectacularly well even."

Sure, she had been tired and her mood had been all over the place, but that all came with being pregnant. The sex had been great. They needed more nights like that, with closeness, intimacy and togetherness—just the two of them with no distractions.

"You know what I mean," he protested. "You woke me up every other hour throughout the whole night, and not for sex, mind you… No, it was to complain about how uncomfortable you were and how much your back was hurting."

"All the more reasons for some good old fashioned pampering at the spa with the girls."

He groaned audibly into the phone. "I suppose nothing I say will make you change your mind."

"Nope," she replied popping the 'P' as she put her hand in her coat pocket and found her key chain. "I'll be alright. I promise I won't over-do it. Try not to worry so much."

"It's my job to worry," he responded instantly, then sighed. "But I do want you to have a productive and enjoyable day and come back to me relaxed and in a good mood."

"That was the plan." She stuffed her feet into her boots without tying them. It would take too much effort to kneel down and lace them up. "You know what? Keeping the 'missus' happy is generally always a good idea."

"Thought you said you didn't want to be treated like a housewife?"

"It was just a figure of speech. And just so you know, I fully expect you to be Mr. Housewife tonight, so you better make sure you're home on time. I predict your first born is going to need some daddy-son bonding time after his big day out with auntie Alice."

"Great! My night is going to be all tantrums and meltdowns," Edward laughed in a tone that nearly sounded like he was holding back a frustrated groan.

"Come on, it wont be that bad. She loves Tony and we really want this to work out, "Bella reminded him. "We're going to need a pool of babysitters to draw from, once the new addition to the family comes along."

"Alright, alright. Be nice to Al and give Tony some extra cuddle time. Anything else?"

"No, brass fixings."

"No brass anything," he agreed. "I'll let you go now, just… you know, remember to take it easy and call me when you leave the realtor. Also, make sure you tell Rose about your plans for today so that she knows where you're off to."

"I'll do that. Bye now, I really need to get going," she brought the phone from her ear and disconnected the call before Edward could think of anything else to ask from her.

.

…..

.

There was something oddly cathartic about moving, purging all the old and getting ready for the new - especially when it involved throwing out mountains of unnecessary stuff that had piled up over the years. Bella sure had accumulated a lot of shit since her last stab at deep cleaning.

The thing was, when she had agreed to list her apartment with an agent, she had done so without any intention of actually selling the place. This apartment had been her safe heaven and refuge from the real world for many years and lately she had started to think of it as her backup plan if this 'living-together-thing' didn't work out.

Sellers deliberately set the asking price high all the time, right? To leave room for negotiation or whatever. Well, Bella had done just that, only in her case it had been done in the hopes of scaring off any potential bidders.

It started when Edward finalized the deal on that ridiculously expensive house of his. He was jumping through all the hoops, not only to improve himself, but to prove that they could be a family and work on building a real, meaningful relationship together. Putting her apartment up for sale had seemed like the right thing to do. A simple gesture to show that she was just as committed to the plan as he was. Only, she was the kind of person that usually always had a backup plan and a backup for her backup.

Being pregnant kind of affected the way her brain functioned though, because it didn't take long for her plan to backfire. Well of course it was going to backfire, it always does when something seems like an easy way out. Within a month she had received, not one but two offers at the asking price.

Bella had no idea how it happened, but somehow the news of the sale had reached the internet. The fan base for motorcycle racers and fans of motorcycle racing wasn't huge by any means, but the fact that Jacob Black, the youngest driver to ever claim a MotoGP World Championship point, had lived in the apartment prior to his death, apparently made it hot commodity. After a bidding war that involved another four or five offers, Bella had no other choice, but to sell. She could have refused, of course, but that would have been a really stupid financial decision.

She wasn't exactly hurting for money, but raising a child was friggin expensive and she was already paying for her father's care at his Floridian nursing home so… A good deal was a good deal, no matter how you twisted it.

The only downside was the deadline. She had until the end of the month to clear out the apartment.

The move was already well underway though, she realized, looking around the half empty apartment. She'd gradually sold off pieces of furniture she had no interest in saving. This was a progress she had started when she had first learned she was pregnant and had realized there was no spaze, physically, to fit a baby into her over-stuffed apartment.

Naturally her most personal belongings and necessities like clothes (the ones that still actually fit her) and all things makeup, hair and skincare related had long since migrated over to her temporary home in Alice's apartment.

The same went for most of the stuff that had previously made up her kitchen. The room, now bare of its dishware, kitchenware, spices and accessories, looked like it had been subjected to a robbery attempt. Neither Edward nor Alice cared much for cooking, as was evidenced by the many microwave dinners in Edward's freezer and the growing dust layer in Alice's pantry. If Bella was to do be the one feeding the family, she needed a decent equipped kitchen.

However, while most of the rooms were more or less bare of personal effects, Bella still felt she had a long way to go. She had accumulated a shipload of trinkets and nick-nacks i.e. junk, but it had proven near impossible to throw anything away without looking at it first.

.

…

.

Lunchtime found Bella nose-deep into an old-tattered-well-worn-and-very-much-loved photo album. Upon realizing what it was that she had stumbled across, she had allowed herself some time to reminisce in old memories.

She had made herself comfortable on a pillow on the floor, with her back leaning against one of the book shelves in her sparsely furnished living room, flipping through page after page of old, forgotten photographs. The edges of the thick pages were yellow with age, filled with snapshots from another time, a time before Bella was even born. 159 photos, documented on 63 pages, with handwritten captions, penned down in blue ink, stating dates and names and places.

There were pictures of her now deceased grandparents, pictures of her mom and her aunt Maggie as teenagers. Also, there were probably twenty or so pictures of the mysterious man-child, E.J. He was the never spoken of, long gone uncle, who technically wasn't really her uncle. Technically, and to the best of her knowledge, he wasn't really dead either. He had simply always been 'gone'. That was the only answer she had ever received when asking about him - he's gone- no details, no explanation, no anything…

Before Bella had been old enough to read and her aunt's handwritten captions, she had used to make up stories based off the pictures alone. Silly stories about hippie princesses with mermaid hair, secret agents on the craziest undercover missions, astronauts lost in space and of course her favorite, the one about the heroic nurse, saving lives in far off, exotic places. Her imagination had known no limits at all.

Gosh, she had not thought about this in years, Bella realized as she carefully turned to look at the next plastic covered page.

Two pages of the album were stuck together, and she paused before trying to separate them, gently smoothing the pages back down. Her aunt smiled up at her, shoulders and chin set proudly, and no one could mistake her strength and determination. You could see it in her eyes; Bella had always thought so, even before she was old enough to understand what being a humanitarian aid worker actually meant, because that had been her aunt's profession, her call in life.

Bella was halfway through the album, when the most unexpected sound sliced through the air.

Someone was at the door, knocking very insistently.

She hoped it wasn't some busybody neighbor, coming to check up on her. It was perhaps only natural that any sign of activity in an apartment that had not been lived in for months would spark curiosity. That being said though, it was a still a bit unexpected that someone would go through the trouble of actually stopping by and seeking her out in person. The building has excellent sound isolation and most of her neighbors were the sit-at-home-lazy-and-bored kind of people.

Maybe it was the postman or a delivery person?…Her door was unmarked, which she supposed could cause some confusion.

Maybe it was Renee…?!

Getting off the floor took some serious effort and Bella was sweating by the time she managed to get vertical and could waddle over to the entryway to check who was at the door.

It wasn't the postman, or her mother.

It was Edward.

"Did you know that your doorbell is broken?" He flashed one of his brilliant smiles at her as she held the door open for him.

"It stopped working two years ago." She rolled her eyes at him, they had this very same exchange of words every time he swung by her apartment, all because she refused to give him a spare key so that he could let himself in on his own.

"So, how's it going?" he asked shrugging out of his heavy coat. "The place looks a mess, but I suppose that's the look you're going for." He stepped out of his boots and kissed her cheek as he walked past her into the living room.

"Ha, ha… Don't you know order is for the primitive? Only a true genius masters chaos! "

"I'll remember that the next time you nag me about being untidy," he smirked, dragging a finger through the layer of dust on one of the book shelves.

"It's not as messy as it might look, though. I do have a system…. sort of," she informed him, as she rushed over to save a vase that was about to fall off the stack of books it had been sitting on.

"Of course you do."

"Was that sarcasm? I couldn't tell."

"I'm not sure myself," he joked and turned around to give her a crooked smile. "So, tell me about this system of yours. Can I be of any help? I've got an hour and a half to spare."

"Of course you do," she said mimicking his previous statement. They both knew he wasn't there to carry boxes, he was there to check up on her. "Thanks for offering, but I've got it covered. Nothing to lift or remove at this point."

Just then, Bella's phone buzzed, where she had left it, on the floor by the photo album. It rattled against the wooden surface and Edward jumped at the noise.

She moved to grab it, but Edward had already snatched it up, presumably to hand it to her. Fueled by a sudden irritation, she literally ripped it out of his hand. The phone had been lying right next to photo album, which in turn had been lying right next to one of the ' Jake' boxes. And she didn't want Edward anywhere near those boxes.

The screen on her phone revealed it was just a text from Rosalie informing her that the boys had been returned home in one piece. She had barely finished reading it, as Edward's phone went off as well. He was most likely received the very same message from Rose, or possibly a message from the proud aunt herself, reporting about her day.

Bella took advantage of the distraction, relocating the photo album to a safer place, while draping a scarf over the label on the box.

"So, I've got three piles going on in every room, " she started explaining, to have something to say when he looked at her questionably. "Things to keep, things to throw away and things to sell or donate."

She thought she was being pretty vague, but apparently not vague enough.

"Wait, " Edward protested, eyebrows furrowing as he inspected the three piles. "Surely the biggest one is the pile of things to throw away."

"Ha, good try, but nope, that's the 'throw away' one."

"But-…"

"But what?! She slapped his shoulder. "Give it a rest. I know I've got a lot of crap, but most of it will be going into storage. Do we really have to argue about this? again?"

"Sorry! Your stuff, your decision," he relented with a heavy sigh. "Self storage is not exactly cheap though," he muttered under his breath.

"Did you come all the way over here just to pick another fight?" she asked crossing her arms over her chest.

"No, that's not it. Glad you reminded me." The corners of his lips were suddenly twitching slightly, as if he had just remembered something amusing. "I came to make sure you get some food into your system. Now before you jump on me for being smothering and treating you like a child, consider this… It's way past lunchtime and I bet you haven't eaten anything since this morning, have you?"

"Well, I ate a steady breakfast and I brought an apple and some crackers for later," she answered stubbornly, begging her stomach to not make a sound, just this once. "But . . ."

"No buts. I've already called and ordered Thai takeout. It should be delivered any minute now. "

"Thai?" she scrunched up her nose in disapproval.

"Yes, Thai," he repeated, a frown crossing his features. "Chicken and beef satay and those spring rolls you like so much."

"What if I'm craving something…like tacos today?"

"Tacos?" Edward asked incredulously, watching Bella nod her head.

"Are you absolutely sure?" he asked with a long, heavy sigh. "Well, I did come here hoping to make peace with you, so I suppose I better go out and find you some tacos then."

"Aww, sweetheart," she clapped her hands together in exaggerated delight. "Peace offering accepted, but I'm only kidding about the tacos. Spring-rolls sounds delicious and I'm sure the rest will taste great too."

"You mean I did something right for once? I'm shocked."

"I could have made do with my apple and crackers, but yes, the food is a nice gesture. Thank you!"

"So everything is alright then? I know I was a bit of a jerk on the phone this morning," he admitted, earning himself half a smile, but also a raised eyebrow.

"It's not that I don't trust you to take care of yourself. It's just…I worry, okay? You have a really bad habit of winding up in crazy situations."

"Me? Ending up in crazy situations?!" she questioned, a little offended. "You mean because of my work, my profession? You seem to forget that I'm not some fragile, china doll. "

"No, that's not what I meant," he shook his head. "Okay, fine. Maybe it's me that's a magnet for chaos and disaster, or maybe it's the combo of the two of us together. What I'm trying to say is that there are so many things that could go wrong right now. I just wo-…"

"WORRY.," she finished for him. "I know you do, I get that. But you're going about it in a way that is kind of stressful for me — no, let me talk," she held up a hand when she saw that he was about to interrupt.

"I worry too. We just worry about different things, it seems. I'm not worried about being on my own for a few hours. I'm not worried that the everyday tasks will be too much to deal with, or that Tony will be too much to handle. All those things still feels manageable and more importantly, enjoyable."

"I don't want to come home and find you passed out on the floor again, that's all."

"You know I check my blood pressure every morning when I wake up, right?" Bella walked up and wrapped her arms around him. "It's not a guarantee something like that won't happen again, but it's a pretty good indicator of my overall health." She hugged him sideways- the only kind of hugs she could really do at the moment.

"Right," he murmured, returning the hug. "I'll try to remember that."

"As for getting enough rest and eating properly… Tony is great to have around when it comes to these things. He tends to keep me in line. You know perfectly well what happens if you keep him up past his nap time, or if you don't feed him in time… That's not something you want to mess with if you can avoid it."

"Yeah, about that… I cannot thank you enough for taking care of him, while I work on finishing our house. I'd hate to have to adjust him to daycare, before he is ready for it. He needs a stable home environment, so that he can grow and develop into that happy and cheerful child he deceives to be."

"You don't have to thank me. I love him just as much as you do. You know that. I'm just glad he's gotten so comfortable in my presence that we can hang out together with only a minimum of fuss and drama."

"You promise you'll let me know if he gets too much for you, right? No one expects you to be Super Woman… or super mom… or super human…"

"Yeah, yeah whatever…"

"No. Not whatever. I'm serious."

"So am I," she insisted, tilting her head back to look at him. "I've quit working. I've given up the freedom of living on my own. I've had to learn how to coexist with your family and accepted the fact that they can and will stop by several times a day to check on me. If you want this relationship to work out, you'll have to back off a bit on this one, give me some space to breathe, alright?"

"I'll try. I promise, but if I slip up, which I probably will do, it's only because I care …. and worry and think about you ALL the time, alright?" He stroked some hair out of her face, and tucked it behind her ear.

"Alright," she nodded, catching his hand as it fell from her face. "I know I'm not Super Woman, trust me." She squeezed his hand. "Like you said there are so many things that could go wrong. It's the things I have no control over that scares me the most."

"Oh no, my control issues are rubbing off on you," he teased gently, pulling her closer to him. "Is this about what your mother said?"

"Sort of, I guess… " she nodded. " When you first knocked on the door, there was a split moment when I thought, or feared, that Renee had followed me here for another confrontation."

"Oh, I didn't think of that," he grumbled. " I should have called first, sorry."

"The thing is, my mother hit the head of the nail, because I do worry about things like possible birth defects, organ failures, slower growth rate, suppressed immune system, genetic disorders… I know everything indicates that our baby is a small, but healthy little nugget, but … "

"No buts. It's a healthy little baby boy in there."

"Girl," she shook her head and a small chuckle escaped her. "It's a girl and I'll continue to worry until she's actually here in my arms and probably forever after that too… and don't get me started on the actual birth… that's one thing that's so out of my control, it's ridiculous… " she visibly shuddered in his arms.

"Okay, yeah… I'm with you on that one," he agreed with a little shudder of his own. "Those videos we saw in childbirth class were way too graphic. I wish they had not shown that. I don't understand how that's supposed to help anyone prepare!"

"I know, right! Anyway, that's one bridge I don't even want to think about crossing right now."

"Amen to that." He opened his mouth as if to say something else, but the whole conversation was brought to an abrupt end with a loud rapping on the front door.

"Well it looks like the food is here. Good timing, huh?!"

.

…

AN: Ok, so this took me forever to write for some reason. I hope it is at least half way decent.


	6. Chapter 6 -Mausoleum of mangled memories

**Chapter – 6 Mausoleum of mangled memories**

.

"So, what's in all these boxes anyway?"

Dropping the now empty takeout container back onto the coffee table, Edward rose to his feet and crossed the room to take a better look.

"Which ones?" Bella asked, after a moment's silence.

"These ones," he darted right over to the 'keep pile' and put his hands on the top one. "I've seen these before, stacked up in your closet, already boxed and sealed and ready to go. Are these filled with things you never got around unpacking from the last time you moved house? Things you'd forgotten that you had? Or what?"

Bella drew in a deep sharp breath before answering. "It's mostly photo albums and things I rescued from Charlie's house when we moved him to Florida. I got some quilted blankets and bed covers after my grandma. And also…" she hesitated, but his look of hope prompted her to continue. "And also some things I've kept after Jake."

"After Jake?" He wasn't expecting that, she could tell by his expression. As he continued, his voice was flat, betraying no emotion. "What kind of things?

"It's just photos, postcards, newspaper clippings and stuff…."

"And… stuff?"

"Please leave it alone," Bella protested, but he had already begun moving the boxes around, counting them and to reading on the handwritten labels.

"Nine boxes, Bella! You have nine boxes worth of memorabilia, or nostalgic trinkets, or whatever… That's enough to fill a freaking museum exhibit, or a mausoleum." He shuffled around some more and then he stopped when he came across a large padded envelope wedged between two boxes. "What is this? Love letters?"

"It's private, but no, no love letters," she informed him, rushing to take the envelope from his hand. "This is Jake we're talking about. I don't think he ever sat still long enough to put together a proper letter."

"If you say so…" he replied, but it certainly didn't sound like he believed her. "He used to leave you notes and messages, like all the time in high school. I remember that, because the little shit deliberately left them in places where he knew I was bound to see them."

"Well, we're not in high school anymore. But fine…If you must know, he used to write me postcards from every new country he visited."

"How very sweet of him. Looks like you've saved every postcard, letter, note, grocery list he ever wrote you…. every single gift he ever gave you… every piece of clothing he ever bought you…" His voice was still carefully controlled. He was obviously trying to stay calm and collected, but the way he attacked the pile of boxes, bags and whatnot was brutal.

"Edward, please!" she pleaded. "It's just junk. I'll throw it out, if that's what you want. Just please don't make this into something it doesn't have to be."

"I'm not asking you to throw it out," he all but snapped, lifting a brown bag from the ground and dumping its contents, about thirty postcards and a leather jacket, onto the table. "I'm not that insensitive. I realize there is emotional attachment involved in all this. It's just… I thought you said you donated his clothes to Goodwill. I though you said you sent his personal belongings to his sisters. What happened with that?! Did you lie to me?"

"No! I did not. I-… Wait, be careful with that bag!" Dropping the envelope she had been clutching to her chest she rushed forward again. "It's heavy. You can't lift it like that, it's gonna break!" she warned, but of course her warning was too late as the bottom of the paper bag ripped and fell apart like it was made of wet toilet paper.

Out rolled black and silver colored helmet, that hit the floor with a deafening thud, followed by gloves, goggles, kicker boots and race number bibs. Lots and lots of bibs.

A moment of shocked silence followed, before Edward started muttering, quite loudly, "I don't believe this. I suppose I should have known… But this…. This is just… " Edward threw his hands out to ward her off. "No, actually I have no words… " he said hoarsely and then turned around and stormed out of the room.

"Don't leave!" Bella called after him. "I realize how it looks, but it's not like…that. Come back so we can talk," she pleaded, but he didn't appear to be listening and she couldn't keep up with him as he bypassed the elevator and took off running down the stairs to get away.

...

AN: I know, I know... This was super short... Next one is gonna be longer I promise.


	7. Chapter 7 - Welcome to the family

An: Since the last chapter was a kind of short, I've posting a really long one for you this time around. .. No actual Bella Edward interaction in this one, but I hope you'll like it anyway...

.

**Chapter 7- Welcome to the family**

.

Bella was hiding in Rosalie's bathroom and she'd been in there for a good ten minutes now.

One glance in the mirror told her she still looked horrible. Her eyes were glossy and red and her face looked puffy despite the cosmetics she had applied in an attempt to conceal the fact that she had been crying.

"You look a proper mess," she sighed and made a disgusted face at the reflection staring back at her in the mirror.

Canceling on Esme and their spa appointment was not an option. Canceling meant she had to either return home and face Edward (not quite ready for that just yet), or stay with one of her friends for the evening.

It wasn't that she didn't have any close friends, but right this very moment she couldn't think of one single person she could turn to, that wouldn't ask a bucket load of questions, not even her male friends from work. Funny really, considering she worked with a bunch of testosterone driven, gun-carrying, tough guys. All they ever wanted to talk about, whenever she would stop by the office these days, were how things were going with Cullen and their little ready-made family and, of course, baby stuff… One more "when's the wedding?", or "have you picked a name yet?" question and she'd have to pull her gun and fire a warning shot or something.

"No shooting colleague tonight, off to spa you go," she grumbled to herself as she loosened her hair from its elastic so it fell forward around her face, concealing at least some of her blotchy cheeks.

She finished off her look with a coat of the brightly colored lip gloss she'd found in Rosalie's bathroom drawers. Cherry red, to match her red rimmed eyes….

"Pffff, everyone knows pregnant women cry all the time." Unlocking the door, Bella gave herself one last pep talk before stepping out of the bathroom. "You can pull this off, Swan. You can do it!"

Of course, the first person she ran into was Esme, who immediately started asking questions. "Are you alright? You look a bit flushed, dear. Did something happen?"

Bella did her best to shrug of her concern with a gruff "bloody hormones", only to end up being talked into a lay down on the sofa – just for a minute. She could hardly refuse, seeing as they were just sitting around waiting for Emmett to finish up his shift and get home anyway.

The sofa was soft and comfy, and her body melted into the cushions like butter on hot toast. She couldn't help, but close her eyes for a second and that was about all it took before she had inadvertently acquiesced to an impromptu power nap.

Next thing she knew, she woke with a start to the sound of an enthusiastic Alice bouncing into the room, shouting, "Okay my lovelies, drop what you're doing we're going to the spa!"

"We call her the spa nazi," Rose confided, offering Bella a hand to get up.

"She'll come after you with tweezers and a mud mask if you don't do as she says."

"We better hurry the f-... up then," Bella shuddered. "I'm well acquainted with that mud mask."

"There is no rush, sweetheart," Esme spoke up from the plush lounge chair she was seated in, giving Bella an apologetic smile. "This outing is about the four of us relaxing and having a good time."

"Sure, but there is a lot of waxing, scrubbing and polishing to get underway before any relaxation can takes place," Alice huffed, tapping her toe impatiently. "And that will take a considerable amount of time, so we better leave sooner rather than later."

.

…..

.

On arrival to the spa facility they were escorted into the locker room and instructed to strip and change into the mandatory robes and slippers.

Bella sat down on the edge of the bench she had been appointed to and reached down to pull off her boots, only to find that her rounded stomach got in the way. She couldn't comfortably reach her shoes anymore. Even the most simplistic of tasks were a challenge these days.

For some stupid reason that made her feel like crying, but she didn't dare let herself get started again, so she quickly wiggled herself out of her sweat pants and pulled her cardigan off her shoulders. Of course, her T-shirt got stuck as she pulled it over her head. It just seemed to be one of those days when nothing went right.

While the robes were heavenly soft and fluffy, the first one Bella had tried on wasn't nearly wide enough to wrap around her swollen body. This left her forced to lounge around in nothing but her underwear for way longer than she would have preferred to.

"Black lace, not bad Swan, not bad… Edward bought you that set, I take it?" Rosalie teased, making Bella give her a murderous glare, while Alice and Esme giggled between themselves at something they obviously found hilarious.

"I'm perfectly capable of buying my own underwear, thank you very much," Bella shot back, barely managing to cover herself in one of the spa's towels. First the robes, now the towels… When did everything get so small?

"Honestly Bella, I wouldn't have been surprised it you had showed up in some old, ratty bra and a pair of granny panties," Alice laughed, putting the final piece of clothing away and closing her locker. "I've seen the state of your underwear drawer."

"What the heck, Alice! What business do you have in my underwear drawer?!"

"Well, technically I own that drawer, so chill," her traitor of a friend pointed out.

Leave it to Rosalie and Alice to have no sense of tact whatsoever. It was only a matter of time before they would make comments about her huge knocker and overall changed physique and start offering tips on how to best put those new assets to use, or something equally embarrassing… They had already made fun of the hickey like mark on her neck (one that she had not even known existed until they had pointed it out) and just now taken a stab at her boyfriend's newfound obsession with buying her sexy lingerie. Not the kind of discussion you want to have in front of said boyfriend's mother.

So much for the relaxing, stress free, spa experience she'd been looking forward to…

To make matters worse, every mention of Edward's name was cutting like a knife into the depths of her heart and mind.

Did she even have a boyfriend anymore….? Her every thought seemed to center around their argument earlier that day.

Was he mad? Upset? Did he hate her? Should she try calling him again? Had he read the text message she sent him? When would she see him next? Would he let her explain, or would he pass judgment upon her without listening?

.

…

.

"Al, you booked the prenatal spa option for me, right?" Bella asked warily, looking through the pamphlet listing all the different treatments.

They had just exited the changing room and were about to get started on their pre booked activities.

"Don't worry. I booked you the whole package." Alice came up and looped her arm through Bella's. "Come on my friend, we're all getting Brazilian bikini waxes first. And before you start complaining, think of all the relaxing stuff that will be waiting for you afterwards."

Bella stopped dead in her tracks. "You're shitting me! I'm not a 'Brazilian' kinda girl." Well, that wasn't entirely true, but it had been months since she had even considered waxing any body part. Even shaving had become a thing of the past lately.

"I shit you not," Alice said, pulling at Bella's arm to get her to move towards the wax room and the awaiting esthetician. "You can thank me later. Landscaping the lady garden on your own can't be easy when you can't even see it properly anymore."

"Well, that is true. I don't want a Brazilian though, but maybe a little round-the-edge-of-the-garden tidy up… maybe…" Bella relented, knowing she didn't have the energy to run and hide.

"Great!" Alice exclaimed, almost a little too excitedly.

Well, this off to a great start….and it only got better it seemed… Nope, no sarcasm in that statement at all.

.

….

.

Twenty minutes and a lot of sweat, tears, and swearing later, Bella exited the torture chamber, bare as a plucked chicken. Groaning out loud, she struggled to find a way to waddle over to the seating area with her legs at least semi closed.

"That painful, huh?" Rose asked, looking up from some stupid, glossy, beauty magazine.

"It burns like a mofo and apparently I'll be walking like John Wayne from now on," Bella whimpered. "Please tell me the pain of childbirth is nothing compared to the pain I feel right now."

"Sorry," Rosalie shook her head. "Haven't done the full on wax thing in a while, but 36 hours of laboring is without a doubt the most painful thing I've ever experienced."

"That's not helping….and WHAT!? You're not waxing… down there? You mean Alice is letting you get away with a hairy vajaja?"

"Please… Willingly allowing another person to spread hot wax on my lady bits to pull out all the hair… um, no thanks, I think I'll pass."

"I'm going to murder Alice, she made it sound like it was a mandatory thing."

"For her it is… She gets them done more often than some people showers," Rosalie laughed. "I'm not saying I've never had Brazilian done. I have, but I save them for special occasions, like beach vacations, romantic getaways etc. And never more than once or twice a year, at the most. Hubby absolutely loves it, but the itching as it grows back...unbearable. I generally stick to neatly trimmed landing strip."

"Great! Wish we would have had this talk before I did the downward facing dog for a complete stranger armed with a bowl of hot wax."

"Really, it's not that bad and lasts for weeks," Esme cut in. Because of course, Esme would choose that precise moment to exit one of the wax rooms and join the conversation.

"I don't like having to shave all the time. Drives me nuts. Oh, also – it's good for the sex life," she added with a wink.

"Somebody please shoot me now…" Bella mumbled to no one in particular.

"Welcome to the family," Rosalie sniggered. "Think of it this way; you don't want to climb up on the delivery table looking like Chewbacca from star wars. This way all you have to do is make sure you come back for a little trimming a week or two before the d-day."

"Great…" Feeling faint, Bella actually wobbled on her feet at that mere suggestion of making another appointment. Or maybe it was the mention of the d-day that had her feeling woozy for several moments.

.

…..

.

"Here have some fresh fruit," Rose offered, passing on a plate of cut-up melon, pineapple and mango to Bella."

They were seated in pedicure chairs with their feet soaking water in a small whirlpool-like tubs and Rosalie, apparently, was starving by the way she scarfed down all and everything edible that came in her way. She was also the only one that had taught three back-to-back cardio classes that very same day, so perhaps it wasn't all that strange the way she went about refueling her energy. Lucky bitch could eat her own weight in ice cream if she wanted and never add an inch to her waistline.

"How are you feeling, Isabella?" Esme asked, from the chair to their right, eyeing Bella with concerned eyes. "I promise the rest of the afternoon and evening is going to more enjoyable for you. We're going to finish our mani-pedi's, get facials and then if you're up for it, hot stone massages."

"It sounds wonderful, really," Bella answered, trying to drum up some real enthusiasm. "And I'm feeling better, thanks. I've been on my feet since six this morning. I just need some-…"

"- more of those carrot-beet-chips, I hear ya!" Rosalie interrupted. "Alice, you little elf-midget, fetch us some more snacks! And this time, don't forget the honey yogurt dip!"

"You're such a bully, Rose. Thank God they are serving free booze at this establishment!" Alice exclaimed, grabbing herself another flute of champagne as she passed the refreshment table.

"I'll have a refill too, please," Esme called out after her daughter.

"Not fare," Bella groused, as she fidgeted in her chair. "I bet the waxing process is a whole lot more endurable if you know you'll get rewarded with champagne afterwards."

A wee bit of something alcoholic and sparkling would have been so very welcome at the moment, but instead of champagne she had taken a low dose of paracetamol and applied another layer of numbing cream. She was actually beginning to feel almost human again; a human with some serious dark clouds hanging over her head. It was funny how it worked...one pain distracting from another...

She fidgeted in her seat again, more out of frustration than pain this time.

Rosalie took notice and seemed to be sympathizing with her plight, because she leaned over and poked her in the side, "You know what's even better than champagne, right? I've got an emergency chocolate bar in my purse. Distract the masses and I'll get it for you."

Bella was about to tell her not to bother, when her stomach let out a loud and embarrassing cry of hunger.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'," Rose laughed. "Everything will feel better with a little chocolate, you'll see."

No, not everything, Bella thought silently to herself. Not the fear gripping her heart. She feared she had screwed everything up again and no chocolate in the world, would undo that mistake for her…

.

….

.

Bella tried to enjoy herself, tried to allow the soft music, the steam and the smell of the soothing oils to distract her, but was so far failing rather miserably.

They told her she looked glowing after her facial, but she wasn't feeling it. She kept on smiling and making polite conversations, sure, but on the inside she was a wreck.

While her feet, hands and face were getting polished to perfection, she was left with way too much time on her hands — time to dwell on how and why this day has turned into utter shit.

Sitting around doing nothing is never a good idea when you want to avoid thinking about something or someone. To make matters worse the music playing in the background was harp versions of sappy 90s' love ballads. Really, it was amazing she had lasted as long as she had.

The inevitable breakdown came over a discussion on nail polish, of all things. It was quite bizarre, one moment she was listening to Rosalie, going on and on about how she liked to think of her nails as accessories, sharp and colorful, the next she was bawling eyes out for no good reason, other than that the entire world just sucked sometimes… Oh and, that her boyfriend probably didn't want anything to do with her anymore…

She tried to keep her shoulders from shaking as she suppressed her sobs, but then it just became too much.

Alice was the first one to notice. "Bella, are you crying? What's wrong?" she demanded, rushing over, crouching down on the side of the chair. "Are you in pain? Where does it hurt? Do you need an ambulance? Should I call someone? Should I call Edward?"

Bella shook her head vigorously from side to side. Closing her eyes she tried to calm down enough to speak in coherent sentences. Or really, form anything resembling words at all.

There was an explosion of noise from around her, suddenly everyone in the room seemed to be talking at once, and some where crowding around her.

"You've got to tell us what's wrong?"

"Is it your blood sugar again?"

"Someone get a phone!"

"Don't-…" Bella wailed in total hysterics.

"Don't what?"

"Don't call Edward," she forced out, her voice cracking.

"Hey, hey shh, lean forward and put your head between your knees. You'll feel better in a minute, I promise."

"No, I won't." Bella sobbed, in utter despair.

"Breathe Bella, breathe," Esme encouraged her soothingly, running a hand up and down her back. "Calm down, it's gonna be okay."

"You don't understand…" she hiccuped. "I think I've just screwed everything up… again."

.

…

.

"... and out rolled one of Jake's old helmets." Bella's voice cracked slightly, her anguish was evident as she finished her retelling.

"Oh dear," Esme said quietly.

"Exactly," Bella sighed, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. Turns out that it actually felt good to tell them. To tell someone… get at least some of the things bothering her off her chest. "He saw Jake's stuff and drew all the wrong conclusions."

"What did he do? What did he say?" Alice urged, with a hint of impatience in her voice.

Bella shook her head. "Nothing, he said nothing. He just left."

"So what? You're not allowed to have a past now? Everyone has a past."

"Rosalie," Esme broke in. "I think Bella and I should continue this in private-"

"Actually," Bella interrupted. "No offence, but I'd rather just drop this whole conversation for now. I mean, it feels good to vent to someone, or a few someones, who gets it, but none of this changes the fact that the one I really want to talk to, isn't taking my calls at the moment, so… "

"Are you sure?" Esme asked.

Bella nodded. "I don't want my shitty day to ruin the mood for everyone else," she sniveled. Also, she didn't want to over-share, her and Edward's, private matters. No good would ever come from that.

"Alright, I don't know about you, but I think we could all use some food. How about we cut this short and head straight for the restaurant?" Esme suggested, directing her question at Bella. "Unless of course, you'd prefer to go home? That's alright too, if that's what you want."

"No, food sounds good. Food sounds better than good. Let's do that," she was quick to reply, despite the fact that up until a few seconds ago she'd been thinking how much she wanted to put this tiresome day behind her.

Yes, she was procrastinating, just a tiny little bit….

"Great! I'll go see what I can do about changing our dinner reservation," Esme smiled and got up.

Alice watched her mother leave and then turned her attention back to Bella. "You should try calling him again."

"No point," she sighed dejectedly. "I've tried several times already. He's ignoring my calls. No point in pushing him, if he's not ready to talk. You know how he gets…"

"If it's any consolation, I'm sure he'll come around soon."

"He better," Rosalie grumbled under her breath. "You'd think he's the one with the mood swings, the way he's overreacting over every silly, little thing."

"They are not silly, little things to him, though," Bella reminded her. "I mean, he definitely overreacted, but he has feelings too... and…"

"And what?! This is bullshit!" Rosalie huffed disapprovingly. "You know what? Forget about dinner. Go get changed, I'll drive you home. You guys need to talk, before this gets out of hand."

"No, I don't want to do that," Bella protested, digging her hands into the armrest of her chair. "I mean I want to, but it's still early. If I go home now, Tony will still be up and awake…and a confrontation right now… it just wouldn't be pretty."

"Okay, that makes sense. Grown up points to Bella. We'll definitely wait until later then," Rose relented. "I'll gladly tag along for moral support, or to perform some ass kicking if needed, just say the words."

"Actually, I was thinking of maybe waiting until tomorrow morning," Bella confessed, ducking her head. "I realize this makes me look like some weak, pathetic person, not to mention a complete and utter coward, but can I, please, stay at your place tonight? Would that be okay?"

"My couch is your couch, any time you need it, no problem. But I'm revoking those grown up points. You should just talk to him and get it over with."

"Yeah, I agree," Alice nodded. "I know my brother. If you wait too long, it'll fester and before you know it, he'll be full on angry with you."

"He's already angry, believe me. I'm worried I'll say the wrong thing and make it worse. I need to gather my thoughts, before I do this and he obviously needs time too, so… "she trailed of. "Perhaps one of you could babysit in the morning?"

"That can most definitely be arranged, right Rose?"

"Sure. Elliott loves having his little cousin around."

"Also, could you maybe…" Bella shook her head and swallowed the request at the tip of her tongue. "I feel like I'm asking a lot of favors here..."

"Nonsense," Rosalie arched one of her perfectly shaped eyebrows. "Could I maybe… What?"

"Call Edward, to let him know I won't be home tonight. I don't want him to think I've taken off or anything."

"Sure, no problem," she agreed. "But if he's not taking your calls, then what makes he think he'll take mine? I'm hardly his favorite person as it is and he knows we've spent the afternoon together."

"You could always call Emmett," Alice suggested. "They're probably hanging out together as we speak."

"Make Emmett the messenger and hope he doesn't get shot?" Rose frowned, but it quickly turned into a smirk. "Alright, let me get my phone."

.

…

.

Dinner was… probably excellent.

Bella couldn't for the life of her remember the name of the restaurant, or what, exactly, she had just eaten. Some baked fish dish, or something… It went down easy enough though, so it was probably a dish she would have normally deemed delicious.

They had skipped out on the desert course of the meal, opting to pick up some ice cream on their way home. Esme had claimed to be too full for ice cream and had asked them to drop her off at her hotel first. Bella got the distinct feeling she would be on her phone with her son the very moment she reached her room. That was the price you pay for venting your problems with someone too closely involved in the whole situation. Oh well, Bella doubted Edward could get more upset with her than he already was.

Rosalie insisted on driving all the way to her favorite go-to ice cream parlor, despite it being a considerable detour. The weather was not optimal for driving, with slush on the roads and freezing rain coming down, so it turned into a rather long and somewhat tedious trip.

The time was barely eight o clock in the evening, but Bella felt her eyelids grew heavier and heavier. She had never felt so tired in all her life, but how could she fall asleep when her thoughts were moving a mile a minute? When there were so many unresolved issues? Not to mention, ice cream to eat? It seemed like an impossibility. But it happened nonetheless.

.

…

.

"Did you hear that? Someone's snoring," Alice commented quietly, turning to looking over her shoulder at the Bella in the back seat.

"You sure, this time?" her sister-in-law questioned, without taking her eyes from the road.

"Definitely," Alice insisted. "Told you it would be a piece of cake. This is why she doesn't get behind the wheel anymore. Five minutes in a moving vehicle and she's fast asleep."

"Five minutes, Alice? Try 45 minutes," Rosalie snorted. "I was worried we'd run out of gas."

"She was fighting it with all her might, but the poor thing was completely exhausted."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. I've circled the block for at least ten minutes and she didn't notice a thing. And she's usually pretty sharp… "

"Exactly," Alice agreed and began rummaging through the purse in her lap. "I'll let the boys know we'e on our way so that they can meet us by the garage."

"Remind Edward what a piece of shit he is for doing all of this to her and that I'll come after him with a steak knife, if he upsets her any further tonight."

"He knows that already. You've told him, I've told him, and I'm sure by now, mom must have given him her piece of her mind as well."

"Doesn't hurt to remind him that there are plenty of eyes watching his every move. If he screws this up… "

"I know. Bella is so skittish about commitments and getting hurt. He's supposed to woo her, not send her running in the other direction."

"He's such a child when things don't go his way. If she runs…"

"She won't," Alice responded with dead certainty in her voice. "And she won't be sleeping on no sofa tonight. That's what we're here for. We'll do what we have to do, in order to get those two stubborn asses TOGETHER, together and headed down the aisle."

Rose shook her head, causing her blond curls to fly around her. "I'll have to side with Eddie on this one. You're being way too pushy on this whole marriage thing."

"Yet here you are, helping the cause," Alice smirked.

"You can't bully someone into marriage, you crazy little, psychic-wannabe. If it's a wedding you want, you need to have a serious conversation with that fiancé of yours."

"Sometimes fate needs a shove in the right direction."

"And sometimes you need to lay off the Champagne and the tarot cards and just let fate run its course… Just freakin' call Emmett already, will ya!"

"I'm one step ahead of you, sistah. I snapchatted him a picture of our sleep drooling friend ages ago," Alice informed her. "He responded with a picture of dog poop. I presume that means they are ready and waiting for our return."

"Alrighty then," Rosalie flicked on the blinkers and threw a glance in the rearview mirror. "Isabella Marie Swan, welcome to the family… May God grant you the enormous strength and patience required to cope with this insanity," she muttered under her breath, as she steered the car into the left turn lane.

.

…


	8. Chapter 8 - Keep calm and stay zen

AN: This is a long one. My computer is wack at the moment. I keep getting the blue screen of death over and over again. So annoying. I think I sent out some doubble or even tripple messages when I was replying to reviews earlier. Sorry about spamming you.

Now, were did we leave of last time? Both Bella and Edward were hurting over what went on with the moving boxes and Jake and all that. Some of you are siding with Edward on this one and some of you are leaning more towards team Bella (or team Edward AND Bella). I hope you'll like the way the issue is resolved in this chapter...

**.**

**Chapter 8 -** **Keep calm and stay zen**

**.**

Bella was floating. Drifting, blissfully, in a quiet fog of hazy images and faint noises. Her mind was trapped somewhere between sleep and wakefulness with no way for her to fall back into the former, or rouse herself into the latter.

She was being moved, transported, she could tell that much, even if she couldn't seem to open her eyes. It wasn't scary though, she wasn't getting the 'I'm-about-to-get-kidnapped' vibe. Instead she felt safe and taken care of. It was a gentle, but persistent 'Edward' vibe.

"Ed-edward?" she mumbled through her sleep, trying to coax her eyes open.

"Go back to sleep," a low voice ordered. "We're almost there."

"Where?" she asked, blinking a little confused. She tried to move, but realized she was restrained by a strong pair of arms.

"Stay still," Edward shushed her, his steps faltering while hoisting her higher against his chest. "We're getting into the elevator now. Hang on just a few more minutes and I'll get you tucked into bed."

"Okay," she yawned. It didn't sound like a half-bad plan. In fact heading straight for bed was probably exactly what she needed.

No wait. _WAIT_. Weren't there like explanations to be made and things that needed to be settled, or brought up to be discussed at the very least? Yes, there were, she decided. As much as she wished she could postpone it she knew she needed to explain herself, make sure he wasn't too upset with her, but first she would just rest her eyes briefly. Just for a little while and then she would tell… him… they should-…

And with that she dozed off, again.

The next thing she knew, she was flat on her back on top of a pile of what could only be pillows and blankets. She opened her eyes to find Edward crouching over the bed, doing God only knows what. Fingers against her neck, hands on her shoulders, shaking her, jostling her body.

"What are you- okay, I guess you're undressing me," she said, looking down and watching his hands work expertly on the buttons of her cardigan.

"Yes, I am," he agreed with a hint of a smile. "You fell asleep in the car. Now, sit up and lift your arms."

"But I-…"

"I know," he interrupted her. "I know you were begging Rosalie to let you sleep on her couch. I've heard ALL about it, from multiple sources even. And, yes, some shouting was involved, because apparently it's the general opinion that if anyone should be sleeping on the couch it should be me. I'm on strict orders to get you tucked you into bed and make sure you stay there."

While he spoke he managed to peel the cardigan off her shoulders and toss it aside haphazardly. He started to yank on her sweatpants next. Her t-shirt had ridden up exposing a decent sized sliver of bare skin.

Edward leaned forward. Maybe it was an unconscious reaction born out of habit, or maybe it was a deliberate attempt to distract her, but he kissed her bump. Kissed it and whispered to it; 'You be careful in there', like he always did at night before bed.

Bella was seriously beginning to think she had woken up in some sort of alternate universe where nothing happens in quite the way it should.

"Unreal," she muttered under her breath, with lingering bewilderment at how perfectly calm and put together the man before her was. Was this the same guy, who had stormed out on her, too worked up to even try and articulate his emotions.

"What was that? Did you say you are feeling unwell?" Edward immediately asked, straightening his back to look at her with concern in his eyes.

"No, I said 'unreal', this is unreal. You're acting strange, like nothing is wrong, when in reality, nothing is right. It's unnerving. You have me waiting for the other shoe to drop."

He shook his head. "You're thinking too much, Bella, and it's getting you all wound up."

"But I just don't get it. Why aren't you shouting and throwing things? You're so calm right now, but I know you were really upset with me just a few hours ago."

"When do I ever throw things?" he replied with faux indignation, signaling for her to lift her hips up so she could pull the pants down over them.

"But okay, you're right," he agreed. "I was upset with you. I was angry, furious even and I'm not going to apologize for feeling that way. "

"I-…."

"Let me finish… As angry as I was, I didn't want to take it out on you. So I removed myself from the situation to give myself some time to cool off." He paused to dig into his dresser drawer to get something to sleep in. "I got some thinking done and I've realized something…. I'm alive. He's not. So, I got that going for me," he said, handing her a large T-shirt. "I have absolutely no reason to be jealous over something that is long past. Keep calm and stay zen, is my new motto from now on."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I'm trying to adopt a more 'zen' like mindset about this. It means we should get some sleep and talk about more about it in the morning."

"Argue you mean? We will argue about it more in the morning."

He narrowed his eyes and shook his head. "No arguing, but we'll definitely talk about it some more in the morning."

"Great, can't wait," she retorted back. Then as she pulled the T-shirt over her head, she grumbled, "Wish you would have thought of sharing that new motto of yours with me sooner."

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Just… I've been pretty miserable all day because of what happened... Would it have killed you to send off a little text message or something? Just to let me know not to worry, that everything would be alright."

"I, I didn't think of that... You probably think I'm an idiot now," he hit his palm against his face with a huff. "I didn't want to say anything until I knew what I wanted to say. I'll try to get it right the next time."

"Next time?" she yawned and slumped back on the bed, reminded of how tired she really was.

"You and I both know this was hardly the last time we'll get into a dispute of some sort. I think that's just how we are, and I like how we are."

"Okay, stop with the sickly sweet stuff and turn the light off," she ordered as she slipped her legs under the covers.

"You sure you don't want to brush your teeth first? I'll walk you to the bathroom."

"No… not now. I'm way too exhausted," She let her head fall down on to the pillow, pulling the sheets up to her stomach. "My bladder will send me there soon enough. I'll see to it then."

"Okay, guess I'll get out of your face now."

As Edward got up to leave, Bella grabbed his wrist. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to take a shower and then I was planning on watching some telly before crawling into bed with Tony. It'll be a snug fit, but at least his bed is better than Em's couch, so-..."

"Stay," she interrupted him. "I mean, you don't have to leave on my account. If you rather stay here and sleep in a proper bed, you can. There is nothing stopping you. Your back will probably kill you in the morning if you don't."

"Are you're sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Okay, I'll still need a shower though, but I'll be back." He leaned in and kissed her forehead and her cheek "Go back to sleep," he whispered against her skin.

"Night," she whispered back with closed eyes.

.

…

.

The next morning, Bella woke to a brightly lit room.

It was too bright, meaning she had slept longer than she normally did.

With her face still buried in her pillow, she wildly flailed at the nightstand next to the bed, searching for the alarm clock.

"Well, well, well, look who's up," came Edward's cheery voice from across the room.

She opened an eye to see him step over the threshold, bringing a tray of food with him into the room.

"I think I'm hallucinating or dreaming." Bella rubbed his eyes and by the time she lifted her head off the pillow again, Edward was sitting cross legged on the bed next to her. He had a cup of steaming tea and a plate of egg and bacon in his hands. The eggs looked freakishly like eggs, the bacon looked almost edible, and the origami flower blossom napkin on the tray was sooo adorable.

"I'm wounded, Swan. You act like I've never made you breakfast before."

"Burnt toast doesn't count," she smiled, pushing herself up to a sitting position.

She grabbed the tea from him and took a sip, nearly yelping as the liquid scalded her tongue.

"Careful, it's hot," he cautioned, with a hint of a smile in his voice.

She flipped him off and took another sip. The tea was deliciously refreshing, fruity with an edge of rhubarb… and lemon. There was definitely citrus in there. Just the way she liked it. She liked to start her day with something sour to settle her potentially queasy stomach.

As if reading her mind he held out another cup, filled with lemon slices.

"You're going all out," she commented, taking it from him. "What time is it and don't you have a wall to knock out, or a door to paint or something?"

"The primary cause of this is self-preservation. You're typically in a much better mood with food in your stomach," he teased her. "And to answer your question; it's a quarter past noon now and I've decided to take the day off today. This past week has been pretty extreme and we-…"

"Quarter past twelve?! You're joking?" she interrupted him, grabbing his wrist and turning it to look the watch he was wearing.

"No, I'm not," he insisted. "You've slept like a log. I actually had to check if you were dead a few times."

"But where is Tony? He never sleeps past eight."

"Dressed, fed and off to work. Someone has to bring home the dough, you know," Edward joked, putting some bacon on a fork and moving it front of her face. "Actually, he's playing with his cousin. Emmett is watching over them, and I've been going over there checking on him every half hour, or so. It seems to be working… for now at least."

"I feel like I haven't seen him in weeks," Bella mumbled, reaching to take the fork from him to get another bite.

"Who Emmett?"

"Anthony," she corrected him with a roll of her eyes. "He was out with Alice all day yesterday and then he was napping when I got back."

"Don't worry, he's not likely to forget you. He's always talking about you. It's 'Bewa' did this and 'Bewa' said that."

"You're his favorite person in the world, though. I know he likes me - when he's with me all day he's as happy as a lark, but he is such a Daddy's boy. Think he definitely is sensing that the baby will be here soon and is loading up on his daddy time."

"Well, either that or he's picking up on the general tension going on around him. He was in one of his weird moods all night, last night. Cried himself to sleep on my chest and woke up twice when I tried to move him. It's like he can feel when something is off."

"He probably can. You know how pets can be exceptionally receptive to their owner's stress? I think the same can be said for kids."

"Speaking of kids… I've been told I've been acting childish as of late and I just want to make sure you know you've done nothing wrong."

"Is this about yesterday? Because I have a few things I want to say about yesterday."

He nodded. "Yesterday and the last few months, I suppose. Listen, you're stubbornly strong-willed and it's utterly annoying. Nothing new there - that's always been the case. It brings out that spark that is so elusive in most relationships. It's what keeps things interesting."

"That didn't sound like a compliment. It sounded like a dig."

"That's exactly my point. I keep forgetting that you're a lot more sensitive these days and more likely to be hurt by the crap I tend to spew out."

"Yes, let's blame it all on hormones, shall we."

"Hormones, extreme tiredness, wacky blood pressure spikes and everything else that's going on in your life right now," he shrugged and gave her a quick glance, a fleeting smile before he continued. "I'm just saying you've done nothing wrong and it's not fair for me to take out my own insecurities on you when you have enough to deal with as it is."

"I think it's fair to say we both have insecurities about this relationship. I'm pretty sure that's normal, given the circumstances."

"Wow, look at us we're acting almost like grownups," Edward teased to lighten the mood.

"I know, scary right?!" she replied, fondly. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to hold that thought, because I really, REALLY, need to hit the bathroom ASAP. Wouldn't want an accident to ruin the moment."

"Oh?" His eyes widened almost comically, when he realized what kind of accident she was talking about. "Riiight. You better hurry. I don't think I heard you get up more than once, maybe twice all night."

"Ugh, don't remind me." Grimacing with discomfort, she swung her feet off the bed.

.

..

.

"I'm gonna borrow this," Bella called out, pulling on a flannel shirt over her top.

"That's fine, everything mine is yours…," Edward answered around his toothbrush.

He spat and rinsed out his mouth, before grabbing her in a hug. "I'm not sure about those leggings, but I love it when you wear my clothes."

"What's wrong with my leggings?" she asked, twisting around to get a look in the mirror.

"Nothing's wrong with them. In fact, if you want everybody who walks behind you to stare at your bum, then they are perfect."

"No one's going to look at the fat, pregnant lady and besides we're just lounging around here...doing nothing, so..."

"Actually, I was thinking we could go look at furniture this afternoon." He stepped up behind her and placed a hand on the curve of her hip.

"Furniture?"

"For the nursery. You showed me pictures the other week, remember? I didn't have time to look at them then, but I have time now, so…" He cupped an ass cheek through the form fitting fabric and squeezed slightly. "What do you say? Wanna go furniture shopping with me?"

"Stop fondling me! I can't think straight when you do that," she protested pulling away from him.

"Is that a no, then? We could always ask Alice to get us the things we need. She would love that."

"She would, and we should. I still feel a bit guilty for tricking your sister into believing we were planning a shotgun Vegas wedding."

"That was hilarious though. She was so crushed."

"How about we go and pick out a few items, like a crib and a changing table to set the style and then let her take care of the rest."

"Sounds like a plan." He put his toothbrush away and closed the bathroom cabinet. "Should I go get the kiddo now, or do you want to wait until he's down for his nap and go without him? Emmett could probably hold the fort for an hour or two on his own."

"No, let's bring Tony along with us. We need a few things for his room as well and I think it would be kind of fun to let him pick them out himself."

"Alright, how about afterwards, we swing by the house? Just for a few minutes. I have a some color samples, I want your opinion on."

"Sure, can we stop by my apartment on our way out though? Like, make that our first stop? I have something I want to show you."

The atmosphere in the room changed instantly, as Edward's face slowly slipped into a frown.

"If this is about those boxes…" he shook his head. "They are yours, obviously, and you're allowed to do whatever you want with your property. You don't have to show me anything. I mean it. Keep them, throw them away, do whatever you want with them. It's none of my business." He placed his hands on her shoulders. "None of us comes without baggage. You've been very accepting of mine… with Tony and everything, so I have no right to give you shit about yours."

"Those are some surprisingly wise words." She met his gaze straight on, no wavering, no hiding. "I really want to show you this though. I think it's something you'd want to see." She took a deep breath, swallowing her large amount of pride, as she added, "Please"

"Alright," he nodded after another moment of hesitation.

.

…

.

"That's her? That's your aunt?" Edward asked, thirty something minutes later, staring at the slightly faded photograph before him. "I feel bad I didn't even know you had an aunt."

"Don't," Bella shook her head at him before she went back to her task of arranging the pillows around the sleeping child on the bed.

"She was my honorary aunt. There was no blood relation between her and Renee," she explained, admiring her work. Tony had fallen asleep in the car before they even arrived at her apartment, so now their plans had changed slightly to allow him a proper nap. "There, now he won't get anywhere. Let's go sit down in the living room while he gets his sleep."

She grabbed Edward by the elbow and steered him towards the Victorian-styled divan in the next room. "Now, sit."

"This thing is comfy." He sat down and pulled her into his lap, arranging the album so that they both could look at the photos. "I know I was wary about it at first, but I'm glad you decided to keep it."

"Admit it, you only agreed to let me keep it, after I told you how recent of a purchase it was. If I had said 'Jake helped me pick it', it would have been sent straight to a dumpster. "

He grimaced, "Only because it's the kind of furniture you bend your woman over and make her scream your name."

"Oh, really?! So not what I had in mind when I bought it. I was just after creating a cozy reading spot by the windows. However, I wouldn't be opposed to give your suggestion a try sometime," she winked at him. "…when I'm not pregnant, of course. I can't see my toes and I'm not exactly bendy at the moment."

"I can wait," he laughed, kissing her cheek. "So, tell me more about your aunt. You said she worked for the Red Cross."

"The Red Cross, Save the Children, Plan. Maggie was a humanitarian aid worker." Bella took control over the photo album, flipping the pages until she found the picture she had been looking for. "Look how fiery red her hair was. Her grandmother was Irish. The blazing sun, in all those equator based countries she visited, must have been brutal for someone with her pale complexion."

"How did she die? You said she got sick. It wasn't skin cancer, was it?"

"No. She died from complications after contracting pneumonia and influenza - basically, a freak occurrence. She was only in her forties. I know it still happens in other parts of the world, but no one that young should have to die from influenza, especially not someone working in the medical field, with access to both expertise and resources. Not someone like her, who devoted her entire life to help others."

"Wow, that's unfortunate and quite sad. I don't know what to-..." Edward started to speak, but she cut him short. "You don't have to say anything really." She paused and took in a breath.

"It happened so fast, we didn't even know she was critically ill. It came as quite the shock. I didn't get a chance to say goodbye. But the really sad part is that she died within four months of finding out she had Huntington's disease. I believe that getting a diagnosis like that, affected her spirit and marred her psyche. It's like she thought of it as a death sentence and just gave up fighting all together."

"I don't know much about Huntington's, but from what I've heard-… "

"It can be pretty horrible, especially towards the end," she finished the sentence for him. "She could have lived many more decent, or even good years, with the decease though."

"Were you close? Did you see her often?"

"No, I didn't get to see her very often, but we were close, sort of… It wasn't always easy to stay in touch." She drew a somewhat shaky breath. "She tried though, and that means a lot, considering I never had any siblings, or cousins, or grandparents, apart from grandma Marie, growing up."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you upset," Edward wrapped his arms around her a bit tighter. "You actually look like her, your aunt, I mean. Did you know that?"

"Yeah, right. I'm a dead ringer, minus the hair and the height and well everything. Not to mention we're not even related," she sniffed a bit and then she turned her face to look at him. "Maybe it's time you had your eyes checked."

"No, I'm serious. I know I've only seen a handful of photos, but I can see some resemblance in your body language and how you carry yourself."

"I'll take that as a compliment," she said, pulling him into a tight headlock, kissing his cheek before letting go.

"You should," he nodded, with a sincere smile. "Your aunt sounds like she was a great person. How come Maggie isn't on your list of baby names?"

"Maggie is cute, I guess, but Ann-Margaret, not so much."

"Yeah, not to fond of double names," Edward agreed. "Maybe we could use Maggie, just Maggie, not Ann-Margaret, as a middle name though. What do you think about that?"

"Maybe. I still say we should pick something gender neutral, but I suppose that doesn't have to apply to middle names."

"I guess we'll have to wait and see if it flows well with whatever the baby's first name will be."

"Guess so. Glad you're finally acknowledging that there is a 50/50 percent chance that it is a girl," Bella teased, turning the page over, pointing at another photo. "Look, these were my grandparents on my mother's side - Agnes and Victor. Maggie regarded them as her second set of parents. I'm glad she took loads of photos, otherwise I wouldn't have known much about them."

"That's what makes photo albums like this one so cool, "Edward commented, eyeing the new set of photos before him.

"Maggie didn't have any wealth or material possessions to speak of, but I guess she remembered how much I used to love flipping through her photos as a kid, because she had a written will and in that will she left me all of her photo albums."

"All of them? Just how many albums are we talking about?"

"Well…." Bella cringed a bit. "You see, she never made the move to go digital, so I have approximately 30 albums worth of photos and a few boxes of unsorted photographs as well."

Edward let out a whistle of surprise. "That's a lot of photos."

"Yep, most of them are of from places she traveled to and people she met. Nothing that's particularly interesting for me really, other than that she's my aunt and I want to remember as much as possible about her. There are a few family albums too, as you've seen. Those are invaluable to me, seeing as Renee wasn't much for taking photos. There are even a few pictures of me as a baby."

"Oooh, baby pictures," Edward mused. "I wanna see those."

"Ha, ha, I'm sure you do. I haven't located the right album yet, but even when I do, I'm only going to show you the decent, non-embarrassing ones. Actually, I have something else I want you to see, because believe it or not, my aunt was actually not the reason why I insisted we came here."

"She wasn't?" he asked, genuinely confused.

"No. I mean, I wanted you to see the sheer amount of photos I've been holding on to and just how much space they, along with the things I saved from Charlie's place, take up."

"Right, you're practically a hoarder, Swan."

"Yeah, I guess I deserved that one. I just wanted to say, while it's true that I have been holding onto a few things that used to belong to Jake, I don't have nearly as many 'Jake boxes', as it must have looked like, when you came over here yesterday."

"It's fine, Bella. Really, I get it."

"No, I don't think you do," she interrupted him, laying her hand on his knee. "I didn't lie to you about giving his clothes away and sending stuff to his sisters. It's just that there were some things that I couldn't send them; things that would have been too painful for them to have to deal with right after his accident and death; things that are too valuable to just throw away. There were a lot of racing related items with his name on, like his helmet and the race number bibs. I've saved a few of those items and was planning on holding on to them for a while. I want to give them to his nephews in a few years time when they are older and everyone has had time to grieve properly."

"Now, I feel like a total jerk," Edward groaned, rubbing at the back of his neck.

"I want to say 'good, you should feel like a jerk,' but I know how it looked…. I know, I probably would have jumped to the same conclusions you did, if the roles had been reversed. So, let's move forward and forget about this," she suggested, then pointed at something behind them. "Actually, see that shoebox on the window sill, over there?"

"Yeah," he nodded.

"See the letters written on it?" It was a rhetorical question because she just continued talking. "'EAMC', those are your initials, because that's my 'Edward box'."

"Your what?"

"My 'Edward box'. It's a box I've kept hidden in my closet ever since high school. It's where I've kept the CD's you made me. Remember those?"

"You kept them?" he asked, incredulously.

"That's what I wanted for you to see. Even though we didn't have any contact for years, I still kept every single CD you gave me. Even though I married someone else, I still couldn't throw them out, " she turned in his lap to look at him, touching his face with her hand and kissed his chin through his scruff. "They are like love letters and I treasure them dearly. I don't think you have any idea how talented you were. How talented you still are. The music you compose is beautiful."

He pulled away, shaking his head. "The lyrics were ridiculously deep and dark and totally over the top, though."

"We'll some of it, yeah. Kind of funny, considering you make your living writing commercial jingles these days," she giggled.

"Hey, I do serious pieces too," he protested. "For documentaries and short films."

"You know what you should do?" she asked excitedly. "You should record a few songs with Tony. Bet he would love that. "

"Bet he would, but no…I don't really have the time for it at the moment. Also, I love the kid, but his singing voice is so shrill it's a little painful."

"What are you talking about? He's three. His singing is adorable."

Edward rolled his eyes, but it was obvious that he was trying his very hardest not to smile. "Strangled cat meets hamsters in a blender."

"That's what you used to say about my singing," she reminded him, poking his chest lightly. "Hamster in a blender."

"Sweetheart, your tone-deafness had you thrown out of the school choir," he teased, shifting her in his arms to give her a quick peck on the lips before adding, "I always thought you showed great promise on the piano though. Remember all those times we made out-…"

"On top of the Steinway concert grand in the auditorium. Yes, I remember," she mumbled against his lips. "Can't believe we did that."

"We never got caught. That's what's unbelievable. There was some rather intense, under the clothes, heavy petting going on, if I remember correctly. "

"I know. Can't believe you had that kind of pull on me."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this one," Edward wiggled his eyebrow in a suggestive manner, "Very lithe fingers, 'piano hands', good for music and many other things." And with that his hands sneaked under her tee to illustrate what he was talking about. Then some light fondling followed.

If Bella had been a feline, no doubt she would have been purring. But alas, she was not. So she settled for a breathy, "Is that so?"

"I take it you want a demonstration to refresh your memory." His hand dropped to her waist, his fingers long and blunt against her hip.

"Well… if it's not too much trouble," she sighed, melting against his side.

"Hmmm, let me think…Nope, no trouble at all."

Slipping a hand inside the front of her leggings, he inched his way closer to the top line of her pubic hair... only there was no hair…

This discovery caused him to groan. "Something you forgot to tell me, Swan?"

.

….

.

"Edward, where did the blue bag go?" Bella called out, moving Anthony from her hip, setting him down on one of the counter tops in the kitchen. The boy immediately began fidgeting and fussing, not liking the idea of sitting still, now that he was back in familiar surroundings.

"Hey buddy, watch it, or you'll fall off," Bella warned, grabbing one of his flailing hands to steady him. "Are you excited to get a new room soon?" she asked in an attempt to distract him, while she pulled his boots off.

"My toys!" He smiled up at her and clapped his hands together.

"You're excited about bringing all your new toys over there, yeah?" she cooed, unzippering his little green jacket. "Edward!" she hollered again.

"I'm right here, stop yelling," Edward responded, as he staggering through the door with shopping bags both under his arms and in the tight grip of his hands.

"Oh, my bad, I didn't see you there," Bella threw him a quick look over her shoulder. "I was going to ask if you had seen the blue bag, but never mind…. I'll find it myself. I can see you have your hands full. I sure hope you take it easy on that back of yours. You still have a house to finish, you know."

"Sure, now she worries," he muttered, as he dropped the bagsonto the floor. "I have carried far heavier things than a few bags. In fact I recall this one instance when a certain someone fell asleep and-…."

"Hey, watch who you're calling 'heavy'!" Bella scowled,but thenher attention was caught by Anthony, who had managed to squirm himself free and was in the process of climbing off the counter. He was hanging, head first, over the edge onhis belly. If he went over, his head would hit the let out an alarmed squeakand made an awkward attempt reached for him, but her arms clutched empty air.

Thankfully, Edward's reaction was fast and the dangling boy was caught just in the nick of time.

"Whoa there, where do you think you're going, mister?!" he asked, swinging the boy up on his shoulder.

"Go play?" the little guy shrugged, fisting his hands in his father's shirt.

"Dang it, he's one fast little guy!" Bella commented, her hand pressed against her chest in an absurd attempt to slow her heart.

"Yeah, that was close," Edward agreed. "Did you hear that Tony? You're too fast for us old folks," he said, giving the child a gentle squeeze.

"Go play, Edda," the boy giggled and patted Edward's face. "Dwaw a pit-ure?"

"Uh-uh, last time you drew a picture, you got crayon marks all over your auntie's coffee table."

"Hava book."

"Yes, I know you have a coloring book, but you never seem to be coloring inside the actual book, now do you?"

"I think you're supposed to encourage, not stifle, young creativity," Bella butted in, once her composure was regained and her heart was backfirmly in its place.

"Those crayons are more permanent than tattoos, but if you're willing to do the cleanup, then go ahead by all means…" Edward told her and then whispered loudly to Tony. "Why don't you ask Bella if she'll color with you?"

"Dwaw a car?" The boy asked hopefully, looking at her with wide, puppy-like eyes.

"Anything you want, darling," Bella agreed, smacking Edward's arm, mouthing 'unfair'.

"Ana bus?"

"And a bus, sure. We can draw tons of pictures, but first I was thinking we could set up your new road rug inside your play tent," she suggested, trying to steer the boy towards the plan she had already cooked up in her mind.

"That should keep him busy, while we sort out some dinner," she stage-whispered to Edward, while they, with joined efforts, tried to peel the little boy's snow pants off of him.

"Good thinking," Edward agreed, hoisting Tony higher up on his shoulder, to get a better grip of the now wiggling child, while Bella kept tugging at the pants. At last, the legs came free.

"There! Excellent teamwork," he pecked the side of her face, then he tipped the child up in his arms so that he could see him. "What do you say, Tony? You wanna play with your trucks on that cool, new rug we got you?"

"Cool," Anthony threw his hands up in the air, but didn't say anything else.

"I think that means we have a go," Edward mused, moving to slip out of the room. "Come on Tiger, let's go check out your new stuff while Bella starts on dinner."

"The play rug is in the bag I was looking for," she called out after them. "You know which one I mean, right? The big, blue one, with the lamps we picked out for Anthony's new room."

"I've got it," she heard Edward answer from the door. "I'm pretty sure it's among the bags I put down in the living room. If it's not there, then it must still be in the car. No worries."

"Oh, okay. I'll get started on some Spaghetti Carbonara in the meanwhile. How does that sound?""

"Sounds good," Edward popped his head back through the door, "I almost forgot. There was something in the mail for you," he said as he pulled a small stack of envelopes out of his coat pocket. "Did you go and book yourself another spa appointment, Swan? Another wax job?!" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Maybe… " Bella smirked, willing herself not to blush, embarrassment and -oh, damn- lust running through her veins. " Why? Did they send me something?"

"Yeah," he nodded, flipping through the pile. "It's a reminder, for your appointment on the thirteenth," he added once he had found what he had been looking for; a pocket sized postcard. "Thirteenth, isn't that when you have your doctor's appointment?"

"That can't be right. Let me look at that," she demanded, reaching out to catch his arm.

"It says 13th of February, right here," Edward insisted, tapping the card.

"They must have gotten the date wrong." She gave him a frustrated glare and then tried to reach for the card again. "I don't have the exact date at the top of my head, but it wasn't the thirteenth, in fact it wasn't even in February. It was a late March date."

"Alright, alright, don't get all worked up about it," he told her, still holding the card out of her reach. "You did put it on your calendar, didn't you?"

"Of course I did." She glared at him. "Well, not in my calendar, but I wrote it down. It's in my phone."

"Straight away?" he inquired. "You wrote it down straight away, or hours later when you got home?"

"This morning," she replied, finally getting her hands on the card. "What difference does it make? I know it wasn't the thirteenth."

"Alright," he held his hands up in surrender. "Just one more question… Did you ever figure out what happened with that gmail account of yours?"

"No, why do you ask?" she replied. She had an idea, but she wanted to see where he was going with this.

"Because the card also says you should have received a confirmation email with instructions on how to cancel or change your booki-…."

He was interrupted by a loud and distressed, "Oh, fucking hell!"

Bella had suddenly started pointing frantically behind him, as if the Devil himself were there. "The bookshelf. He's climbing the bookshelf. Hurry! Before the whole thing topples over him "

Edward turned and… "Oh, fucking hell!"

.

…

.


	9. Chapter 9 - Bedtime stories

**Chapter 9 - Bedtime stories **

.

"I thought you were tired," Bella commented, as she heard Edward fidget restlessly on his side of the bed. He certainly should be, having chased after an unusually energetic toddler, who had busied himself climbing on anything that was 'climbable', all evening. Luckily there had been no permanent injuries sustained to neither the boy, nor Alice's furniture.

"I'm exhausted, but I can't sleep," Edward whined, throwing the covers back and turning the bedside lamp on. "With all the manual labor I've been doing lately, you'd think I would finally be sleeping better, but I guess I was wrong," Edward sighed, rubbing his eyes. "It's this bedroom. It doesn't have the right Feng Shui. Or maybe it has too much Feng Shui, or something…."

"I know, it's just too much of Alice confined in a too small of a space. Also it doesn't help that this bed is like something out of The Flintstones," Bella complained. "The mattress is too firm and the pillows are just way too soft for my taste."

"Look wise, it looks more like something out of the Princess and The Pea though, with all these frills and fluffy crap," Edward yawned, rolling onto his side.

"Oooh, someone's been reading up on the classics," Bella teased him, knowing Tony had received a pretty awesome birthday gift, in the shape of a collection of fairy tales with the most amazing illustrations, courtesy of his grandparents.

"Nothing wrong with broadening your repertoire. I have to prepare for the odd chance that our new little bundle of drool and poop is a girl. Little girls want princesses, mermaids and fairies, don't they?"

"Way to feed the stereotype, daddy," Bella shook her head in disapproval, then she pointed to herself and said, "This girl never cared much for the old princess-gets-the-prince fairytales, growing up. Just saying…"

"Really? I thought fairy tales were your gateway to those romantic period pieces, I know you love so much."

"Nope, those came later. I guess I just always found the fairytale princess lifestyle a bit boring. Who wants to sit around in a dusty old castle, waiting for prince charming to come save you? I had greater imagination than that."

"And here I was prepared to whip out my awesome story telling skills and woe you with a bedtime story, but if princes and magical kingdoms aren't your thing…."

"Wait…does the offer include cuddling? Because if so, then I might be interested."

"Of course. Cuddling makes everything better," he agreed, ending his sentence by scooting closer to her, draping an arm lazily across her middle.

"Ugh, your hands are cold."

"I know. So are my feet, but if I put them somewhere where it is warm they'll heat up fast enough. Heat transfers, you know…"

Bella let out a long, painful hiss, because yes, his feet were way colder than hers. "Keep those ice blocks to yourself. You're gonna give me frostbites."

"Hey, did you want that cuddle, or what?!" he pouted, pretending to be offended. His expression was utterly ridiculous and downright silly. She took his head between her hands and kissed him fondly. "At the risk of spoiling the mood, I want to say something on a more serious note."

"Uh, Uh…" Edward went on immediate alert.

"Nothing bad, she hurried to reassure him, reading his expression all too well. "I just wanted to say, I love that you're trying to establish a bedtime routine with Tony. I love the reading, singing and snuggling you do with him. Sadly, there are a lot of children that never get to experience any of that growing up."

She kissed him again and then pulled away. "Personally I didn't discover books until I was old enough to walk myself to the library. So, I'm sorry for teasing you about knowing the 'Princess and The Pea'. My favorite is Thumbelina and the first time I read it I was fifteen. You never get too old for a good story and I rather have our children spoiled with LOTS of love and attention rather than tangible gifts."

"So, Renee wasn't the bedtime story-reading, cookie-baking kind of mom then, I take it?" Edward asked, although the answer seemed obvious enough.

"Not really, no. But that's alright. I remember how I used sit on the floor by her feet and she would brush my hair and tell me stories about her day. Not fairy tales. Real stories. They were probably far beyond what a child that age old should be able to grasp, but, I enjoyed listening to her, and she enjoyed talking, so…."

There was a moment of silence and then Edward, who so rarely said ANYTHING about his childhood, surprised her by saying. "When I was a kid, comic books were my jam. I loved 'em. They were cheap, 'easy to read' and light to carry," he made air quotation marks at the words easy to read. "I was probably like ten or eleven, before I could read anything longer than a few words by myself, being mildly dyslexic and badly taught."

"Dyslexic, really? But you never misspell anything, ever."

"I'm a visual learner, someone who learns through seeing things. I remember how to spell words by what they look like and not actually pattern of letters. I went through the first couple of years of school without really knowing how to read. I was pretty good at faking it, though. No one knew I was struggling with it, not even the teachers at school. They just thought I was being disobedient, or not respecting their authority or whatever…"

"So how did you learn then? What happened?"

"Carlisle happened. He was very patient and eventually got me to understand how it all worked and what I needed to do to get better at it." "I had no idea about any of this. But then again we didn't meet until high school, so I guess you were a pro at reading by then. I remember I used to be amazed at how good your grades were, for someone who cared so little about school. It still amazes me how you can memorize something after only reading it a few times. Why doesn't my brain work like that?"

Edward was shaking his head. "I used to do well on tests in school, because I could see my notes and the textbook pages in my head during the test. But that only works to a certain extent… like for school work and exams and such… It doesn't make me any smarter than the next guy, it just makes me an exceptionally lazy, visual thinker."

"I'm still jealous. I can't even seem to remember a ten-item grocery list at the moment. What I do remember, however, is the insane amount of hours I had to put in to get the grades I wanted. Not fair," She slapped his shoulder with a pout.

"Honestly, I wouldn't have gotten through school if it wasn't Carlisle. He made sure I dragged myself out of bed and went there often enough to graduate on schedule. He was constantly saving my ass, standing up for me whenever I got myself into trouble. And how did I repay him?…. By being an angsty, messed-up teenager."

"Don't be so hard on yourself. You were a kid. You had this well crafted, tough-guy facade that you seemed to shove in the world's face, and yet there was something thoughtful and profound about you, that only those who bothered to really get to know you saw. I think those are the same people that always knew that you would make a wonderful dad one day."

"I don't know about wonderful," he grumbled, before rubbing his cheeks furiously

"I did say 'one day', not necessarily today, but one day," Bella laughed, nudging his shoulder. "You've already improved tons though."

"Well, thank you. I'm trying my best."

"You're not too good at taking compliments, eh? I've noticed this before about you."

"I don't know, sometimes when I get compliments and I feel good about myself, other times I feel the compliment wasn't right and it gets me uncomfortable, embarrassed even."

"Embarrassed? Over being called wonderful, smart and talented…?"

"Didn't say it made sense. It's just how I feel sometimes," he admitted with an awkward shrug. "Guess it's a self-esteem issue."

"Okay then. I'll try to refrain from showering you with my compliments. Would it make you feel better, if I told you something that I'm self-conscious about in return? Something embarrassing?"

"Maybe," he said in a 'pouty' tone. "Is this about your habit of passing gas, all the freaking time?"

"Hey, not all the time! I get a bit… flatulent sometimes and only because I'm pregnant. I can't help it." She slumped back into her pillow and crossed her arms over her chest. "But no, that was not what I was about to tell you."

"Sorry, go ahead. I'm listening." Edward ruffled her hair, looking at her intently.

"Remember, how I always had my nose in a book when we first met? My cool factor was nearly non existent."

"Well, yeah, you were a total bookworm, but being different shouldn't be something to feel self-conscious about - especially not now, like a decade later."

"Let me finish," she pleaded. He closed his mouth. "I was a very lonely teenager and books were my substitute for friends," she explained with careful patience. "I loved getting lost in a story, in the characters. I loved that I could become anyone, that I could live any fantasy. My situation got better when I moved to Forks, because… well, Jake quickly became a good friend of mine and later on, I had both you and Alice to hang out with. But for a few years there, the library was my hiding spot. Shelves of books protected me while I grew into my true self. "

"I can relate to that. A LOT actually." Edward picked up a strand of her hair and played with it absentmindedly. "For me it was music though. My music became my escape. Well, music along with numbing myself some not-quite-legal substances," he admitted, pulling her close, burying his face in the curve of her neck so that he could draw in the scent of her and hold it deep inside him. "Then I met this girl who didn't like it when I got too drunk, too high, or when I closed myself off too much. She even had opinions about my driving."

"I've heard she was very much like her father that way," Bella chuckled.

"Unlike her father she was a big fan of my Volvo though, always pestering me for quality time in the backseat, which nearly got me shot, when her father found out about us... She was quite a distraction, that girl."

"Sounds to me like she was both high maintenance and troublesome," Bella made a noise that sounded like she was unimpressed." Now that I think about it, having a secret love affair with the police chief's only daughter must have been such an inconvenience for a tough guy like yourself… "

"I was quite smitten, and for good reason, too. She was a total babe."

"And a total nerd. Bet you never though you'd be having babies with her one day."

"You'd be surprised if you knew how often I thought of making our relationship official. Like I said I was quite smitten," he insisted, as his hand splayed out over her belly. "I was eighteen. I don't know how I felt about forever and babies and white picket fences… But I know I wanted to share my college experience with that girl."

He found her belly button through her nightgown, which was actually one of his shirts, and rubbed in circles until he felt the baby kick against his palm.

"Hi baby," he cooed happily. "Sorry for keeping you up, but your mama wanted a cuddle."

He kissed the bump and moved his face up to kiss Bella's lips. "He's going to be an active little one, just like his brother."

"Are you sure you can handle that, daddy? You should have seen your face when you realized Tony had climbed that bookcase," Bella chuckled.

"You're right. Maybe my best bet to stay sane is to hope for a little girl, who likes reading, cooking and baking, just like her mommy."

"If she's too much like her mother, she'll be a handful when she grows into a teenager though."

"Didn't think of that," he groaned. "Speaking of babies… Have you found any baby pictures yet?" He nodded towards the photo album on the bedside table.

"Not yet. I'm still on the 'pre-baby-Bella' pictures. Actually, I think I've spotted a teenaged Esme in a few of them though, which I thought was pretty funny."

"Wow, really? Do you mind if I have a look?"

"Go ahead, I don't mind,"

"I keep forgetting they knew each other as kids."

"Well, they did go to school together, but there's a bit of an age difference there, so…"

"Yeah, sure, a whooping three years, or something."

"That's a lot when you're a teenager, though. I don't think they hung out much. I imagine Renee was very selective about who she associated herself with."

"I can see that. I'm going to sound like Carlisle now, but the past usually holds the key to psychological problems in the present and the farther back you look, the more basic answers you'll get. Like for example, your mother grew up being an only child to elderly parents, right? No doubt, that has played a big part in shaping her into the person she is today."

"Great, let's psychoanalyze my mother. That's just what I need before going to bed."

"Sorry, you're right," Edward agreed with a grimace. "Should we drop the subject all together, or can I ask about your aunt? Like where she grew up and how she knew Esme? She didn't go to school in Forks, with our mom's, did she?"

"No, she grew up in Seattle, but she spent several summers with Renee and Forks is kind of a small town, so… Also, I know she loved the green scenery of the forest and the serenity up there and kept coming back for visits for as long as my grandparents were alive."

"You call her your honorary aunt, what's up with that? I sense there's a story there."

"Yes, there is, a rather tragic one at that. From what I've been told, Maggie and her older brother, EJ, came to live with my grandparents after their mother died. My granddad, Victor, offered to take those two kids in over the summer to give his longtime friend, the grieving widower, some time to pull himself together after his devastating loss."

"So, does this mean you have an uncle too, somewhere?"

"Nah, I've never met him and I hardly know anything about him. So no, I wouldn't count him as part of the family and I know Renee doesn't want anything to do with him, for sure. Actually, nowadays, if you ask Renee about Maggie and her family, she'll deny all knowledge of them, which is rather telling, and quite a bit sad….really."

"Why is that?" Edward asked and sounded sincere in his curiosity. "They look rather close in the pictures you've shown me."

"Because Maggie's dad was an aspiring politician, with a career very similar to Phil's - former pro athlete, turned businessmen, turned politician, but the similarities ends there. There was a bit of a scandal with controversial campaign backers and bribes and the whole enchilada. Nothing was ever proven and no charges were filed, but his career never really recovered. In fact he ended his days in prison for embezzling money and-…"

"And Renee is very selective about who she associates herself with. I see where you're going with this…" Edward shook his head.

"You haven't even heard half of it, yet. There were a lot of rumors surrounding Maggie's mother's death. It was said that she had a drinking problem and that her drinking caused the car crash that killed, not only her, but the occupants of another car. The truth however, which wasn't revealed until years later, was that she suffered from Huntington's disease, not alcoholism. The decease was most likely affecting her muscle coordination, which was probably the real reason why she crashed her car."

"Oh, that's terrible," Edward said, moving a little closer. "But it makes sense. A genetic pass down…I suppose that would explain your aunt's reaction to her own diagnosis."

"Yeah, I imagine so. She saw first hand what the deceased id to her mother."

"How old was she when her mother died?"

"She was twelve and her brother fifteen, I think. Maggie and Renee were close in age, only six months apart. They were very different, but got along fine for the most part. Renee liked having someone to boss around, I guess. Maggie came back for another three or four summers and then, the year they both turned seventeen, they switched it up with Renee going to Seattle over the summer instead of the other way around."

Picking up the photo album again, Bella opened it up and flipped through it until she found what she was looking for; the first picture of Charlie Swan, in platform shoes, leather jacket, flared pants and a thick mustache, of course. "That was the year my parents started dating and less than a year after that, I came along. I guess their lives moved in different direction, they grew apart. I'm not sure how close they really were to begin with. I know Maggie always thought of Renee as her sister and me as her niece. She told me that every time I saw her."

"That's sweet," Edward commented.

"I know. She was such a sweet person. Looking back, I feel like Renee took advantage of that a lot. The only times I got to see her, was when Renee was desperate for a babysitter. Or maybe it just felt that way because Maggie was out of the country like nine months of the year, but still… Renee would ship me off to Seattle annually, like a clockwork, so that she could go on her 'Healing Camps' and 'Peace Expos'. "

"Healing camps?"

"I know it's hard to imagine, but Renee was quite the free spirit, before she met Phil. Not a proper hippie, or anything. I mean, she has never had any problem living of her Daddy's money. She was a strong feminist and a self-described 'closet environmentalist', which is something I wholeheartedly support, but she's also a person who wants to enjoy life to its fullest potential. "

"That's not necessarily a bad thing though, is it?"

"No, maybe not. I don't know… She acted more like an older sister than a mother, dumping all her secrets and crap on me at a very young age." With a soft sigh she moved to put the photo album away on the bedside table. "Something changed when Phil came along. It's like she was insatiably greedy for emotional fulfillment. He became the light of her life and now everything she says and does is tied to Phil and his career. Don't get me wrong, I like Phil. Phil is great. I was a teenager by the time they met, so I understood. She'd been alone for so long."

"But…?"

"But he's a politician and his job is all about public perception, and keeping up appearances. I suppose Renee has always cared about those sorts of things to a certain degree, but the way she acts now… I have NO idea what happened. It's like she's a completely different person."

"Uh, uh Swan. You're realizing we're psychoanalyzing your mother, even though we decided that we wouldn't go there," Edward reminded her, with a wag of his finger.

"You're right. This was a bad choice of a bedtime story. And to think this all started with The Princess and the Pea…" Bella commented, with a dry humorless laugh. "Sometimes I'm still scared that I'll make a terrible parent."

"What?! Why? Because of your wacko mother and your less than stellar relationship?"

"I still feel like I don't have the first clue how to be a 'MOM', because I never really had proper one. I'm just as clueless and inexperienced as Renee was."

"You'll do fine though. You ARE doing fine. You have way more patience than I do. You keep me grounded in a way no one else can. I really can't see myself having kids with anyone else."

"You say that now, but you haven't actually seen my baby pictures yet, have you? I wasn't a pretty baby. I was chubby, hairy baby, with major cone head and facial bruising. And it's quite possible that our baby will inherit a few, if not all, of those features."

"Aww, but your crazy, curly baby hair was so adorable." Edward cooed with a big grin. "I've seen the picture chief Swan used to have on his mantle."

"The one with the hideous pink bow? I was like three weeks old in that picture and my head still hadn't rounded out yet, so Renee stuck that giant bow there in a vain attempt to hide the cone shape."

"You looked like a brunette version of Marge Simpson."

"You're laughing?" Bella said huffily, "Now, I'm never letting you see any more baby pictures. Not that I've found the right album yet, but….-"

Just then, a muffled cry came from the baby monitor, indicating that Anthony was awake in the room next door.

"Oh great, the monster is awake now," Edward groaned, but got to his feet anyway. "Well, I'm off to change another soggy diaper."

"You are so cute when you get into your daddy mood," Bella called teasingly after him. "Sing him the teapot song and give him your best cuddle," was the last thing Edward heard as he shuffled out of the room.

.

….

.

"Where's the EpiPen?"

Bella shot up on the bed, unsure whether she'd actually heard the question or if it was just a dream.

"What's going on, Edward?" she asked, once her eyes found him standing in the doorway.

"The EpiPen, Bella! Where is it?" He urged impatiently, irritation written all over his face.

"It's either in the backpack, or in the fridge." She pushed the covers off and started to get up, when she heard muffled whimpers coming from the baby monitor. "Is that Tony? she asked unnecessarily. "Is he not feeling well?"

Another whimper was heard and Edward cursed and took off towards the source of the sound. Bella hurried to get off the bed, but he was already half way down the hall, by the time she was on her feet.

"Edward? You're scaring me. What's wrong?" she called out, as she waddled after him all the way to Tony's bedside.

The boy was sitting on his bed with his beloved stuffed tiger-bear friend clutched tightly in his arms. His cheeks were red, and his eyes were flooded with tears. Edward tried to pull him into his arms, but Anthony pulled away from him and curled himself into a tight little ball

"Don't cry, Tony," Edward said in a strained, yet calm voice. "Everything's gonna be alright. Bella is here now and she's going to sit with you while I get your meds, alright?"

The child didn't answer, but he did turn his head to the side as if to show he was listening.

"Oh Tony, what happened to your arms? Are they itchy?" Bella exclaimed, finally catching on to what was wrong. "Is it just his arms? What about his breathing?" she asked, turning to Edward for answers.

"His breathing is fine. It's just his arms and feet," Edward explained. "I've looked him over, but I can't see anything unusual - no rash, no blisters, just scratch marks."

"And you're sure his throat and breathing is fine?"

"Yes, he isn't swollen or anything and he sound alright when he talks. I think he'd be more… panicky, if he was in pain, or if he felt he couldn't breathe."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

"Look, I have wiped him off with a damp towel and put him in a new pyjama, in case it's the laundry detergent again, like last time. I've given him a Claritin, which should make him feel better in about another five to ten minutes. I just want to be prepared if it doesn't help."

"Of course. You should go get that EpiPen," Bella agreed, pushing at him to move so that she could take his place on the bed. "Did you check the fridge?"

"Yeah, and it's not there. That's why I came to wake you. Sorry about that, by the way, but-…"

"But this is important. I get it," she interrupted. "The backpack is hanging on the coat rack by the door. The pen thingy should be in the small pocket in the front…. I think that's where I last saw it. Get the bag and I'll show you."

"Yeah alright," he disappeared, only to return half a minute later, carrying the little backpack upside down, "It's not here." he shook the bag to demonstrate just how empty it was.

"I know I put it in there for when Alice came by to bring the boys to the park."

"Well, it's not here now." He turned the backpack upside down again, feeling inside each pocket until he had turned the entire bag inside out.

"It has to be there. I know I put it there and I don't remember unpacking anything. Alice dropped the boys off at Rosalie's and Tony was napping when I got there, so I let him sleep. And then we left for that spa thing and…. I never unpacked anything from the bag. I just hung it on the coatrack."

"So, what are you saying? You think Alice moved it, or used it, or something…?."

"She would never touch it without telling us. She knows how important that thing is."

"Well, it's not here now, so that means she either moved it, or you never packed it."

"But I did pack it. I can prove I packed it," Bella threw her arms out, startling Tony who actually stopped whimpering for a moment to lift his head and look around.

"Sorry buddy," she said, petting his hair, while she took a few breaths to calm herself. "I'm serious Edward. I know I packed it, because I made a note about picking up a new one at the pharmacy, because I noticed the expiration date is only a month away."

"You made a note?" The skepticism was evident in his tone of voice and he made no point of hiding it.

"A voice message. You know I record those all the time. It helps me remember little things that I would normally forget."

"Where was the pen when you did that? Did you put it down somewhere to fiddle with your phone?"

"No! I put it in the backpacker. I'm sure of it."

Edward shook his head. "It doesn't matter now. I need to get another one. You can buy those over the counter, right? Where is the folder with all the info about his prescriptions and meds?

"It's on the dresser, back in the bedroom. Maybe you should call Carlisle? He'll know what to do."

"Well…. yeah, alright," Edward sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I forgot mom and dad are still in town. I… uhm… just need to figure out where my phone is."

He looked so distraught, she felt terrible for him. "Honey, you're holding it. I think you fetched it at the same time you went and got the backpack."

"Right…." He looked down at the phone in his hand. "I was about to call Em, but you're right, dad is a safer bet. He'll be a lot less grumpy about having to get out of bed at this hour."

"Plus, he's a doctor."

"Yeah, yeah, smart ass." A hint of a smile crossed his tense face. "I guess I freaked out there for a second. Did I yell at you? I'm sorry I yelled at you. If I did."

"He'll be fine, Edward. Like you said, he's not panicky, or in pain, or anything, so it's probably just the laundry detergent…. again."

"It could be soap, or something he touched, or ate… or, I don't know…anything he's been in contact with really." Edward sighed, unlocking his phone.

"I swear, over the past two weeks, I've only bought and used those expensive, non-perfumed, non-chemical brands that claim they are gentle for sensitive skin."

"I know. Now ssh," he said motioning to his phone. "Hey, dad. Did I wake you?"

"Ah, alright… So listen, we have a bit of a situation here with Anthony.

.

…..


	10. Chapter 10 - All isn't what it seems

AN: Got some great reviews on the last chapter (Thanks!). Lots of good questions regarding the story. I've written up an Q&A at the end of this chapter if anyone is interested.

.

**Chapter 10 - All isn't what it seems**

.

…..

.

Edward was the first one up after a sleepless night of watching over a sick and miserable Tony. The child had calmed down eventually and was now fast asleep, but that hadn't happened until after what felt like countless hours of crying and itching.

Poor Bella had gotten almost as little sleep as Edward himself and was still out cold. He expected she would stay in bed for several more hours. If it wasn't for his scheduled morning meeting with the plumber over at the house, Edward wouldn't have minded doing the same. He was dead tired, but instead of sleeping, he found himself in the kitchen, at seven in the morning, trying to repeat the feat of making breakfast for the second morning in a row. Surely, he deserved an award for this accomplishment? Or maybe not… If you have kids, you should at least know how to feed them…. and cheese on burnt toast does not count as cooking, apparently.

He had decided to attempt Cinnamon French toast. It would be easy enough, he hoped. The tutorial he'd found on youtube made it look like a breeze… Though, just cracking the eggs, trying not to get any shells in had been a messy ordeal.

Edward had the frying pan on the stove, and the milk/egg/sugar/cinnamon mixture whipped to a froth in a mixing bowl, when he heard keys rattling in the lock of the front door. Ignoring the sound he dipped a thick slice of toast into the egg batter and carefully laid it into the pan.

The door swung open with a creaking noise, but Edward didn't dare taking eyes off the stove. Mostly out of fear of burning the kitchen down, but also because he already knew it was Alice. Technically, Jasper did have a key too, but Edward could already sense his sister's intense presence close by. Also, he knew it was Alice, because he had sent her a text, asking if she could come over, knowing she had the day off and knowing that Bella would probably need some help with Tony, who was bound to be super cranky when he woke up.

"Hi, knucklehead!" Alice half whispered half hissed at him, as she tipped on her toes into the kitchen. "Thanks for waking me at five forty-five in the morning."

"Hi, brainless!" Edward responded, eyes firmly set on the bread in the sizzling hot frying pan. "It was more like six thirty and you've had heaps more sleep than me, so stop complaining."

"How is the little guy doing? He's sleeping, I hope?" Alice asked as she put her big shoulder bag down on the counter and turned to check her reflection in the microwave door.

"Yeah, he's sleeping. He is currently passed out cold on my bed and it took a lot of effort to get him that way. So, whatever you do, don't wake him," Edward cautioned, frowning in concentration. According to the tutorial he was supposed to slide the spatula under the toast to make sure it was cooked enough. If the bread stuck to the pan, then it wasn't ready.

"Wouldn't dream of disturbing him, or Bella. I'm sure they'll need all the rest they can get. I'll just set up my computer in the living room and do some work to pass the time," she moved as if to head out of the room.

"Wait—" Edward stopped her as she reached the door. "Could you, maybe, stay in the kitchen for a little while. Just in case I need a hand with the fire extinguisher," he muttered, because there was no telling how his effort in the kitchen would play out. Better safe than sorry….

"Oh My God, I didn't even realize you were cooking!" Alice exclaimed a little too loudly, and ran over to wrestle the spatula out of his hand. "Step away from the stove. I don't want the sprinklers going off, ruining my kitchen."

"Not funny," Edward replied sourly, as he sidestepped her, "You're almost as bad in the kitchen as I am."

"Am not," she returned. "I cook all the time."

"But never from scratch. Re-heating pre-made meals doesn't count, lazy bum." Edward pointed out, flipping the first piece of French toast onto a platter. It was a little 'eggy' and the cooking was a bit uneven. He took one bite, before deciding it would go straight into the trash the minute Alice turned her back.

"I cook enough to know when the temperature needs to be adjusted, unlike some people around here," Alice shot back, reaching around him to turn the knob that lowered the heat.

"You're not fooling anyone," Edward shook his head and waved the spatula dismissively. "You'd starve, if Jasper wasn't such a whiz in the kitchen."

"We're a team, me and Jaz. I'm his sous-chef. I make a mean pasta salad and superior quality roast beef sandwiches."

"We'll, that's great, but I'm attempting to make French toast here, so go sit in a corner or something," Edward responded with a huff, sliding another chunk of butter into the pan. "There is just no way I can do this AND deal with you at the same time."

"So grumpy, so grumpy," Alice mused pinching his cheek, making him frown. "I suppose, I could treat myself to a coffee and sit-down. Who knows? This might even be entertaining to watch. I'm allowed to talk though, right? Silence is not my strong suit."

"I don't care what you do, as long as you don't criticize my cooking skills, or get in my way." Edward ushered her towards the coffee pot and away from the stove. The next slice of bread needed to get in the pan like two minutes ago, or the butter would burn.

While Edward immersed himself into the task of getting the bread French speaking and nicely toasted, Alice sat cross-legged on the kitchen counter, sipping her coffee, chit chatting about anything and everything like she normally did.

As the clock ticked on, the kitchen filled with the wonderful smell of cinnamon and… well…burnt butter. The result was edible, Alice was kind enough to sample a bite or two, just to make sure. However, even Edward had to admit that his French toast could hardly be described as 'tasty looking' as they were a bit on the saggy side, with too much batter on each slice of bread.

"You seriously think Anthony will eat this?" Alice inquired, in her most innocent voice. " I mean, no offence, but that boy is one picky eater."

"He loves French toast."

"He loves Bella's and mom's French toast."

"Thanks, just what I needed to hear," Edward snorted, placing the last slice of bread in the pan. "Look, I was planing on putting them in the oven anyway, to keep them warm. Hopefully, they'll dry up a bit more."

"Well, they might…but they'll still look like shit," Alice cackled… yep, she's a meanie. "How long do you think they'll sleep, anyway? Until noon?" she went on, changing the subject.

"There is not telling. The longer the better, I reckon," Edward answered while he did a hasty job of washing out mixing bowls, cleaning utensils, and wiping down surfaces. "Dad said he was going to come by and check on Tony on his lunch break. I suppose they need to be awake for that."

"Oh, okay. I didn't know that," Alice said, hopping down from the kitchen counter. "It makes sense he would try to squeeze in a visit. You know they are leaving tomorrow, right? Jasper is taking them to the airport."

"I know, I promised mom we'd go out for dinner before they leave, but time has just flown by and… She'll be disappointed for sure."

"You're seeing her today, aren't you? Take her out for lunch or something. I'm sure she understands. It's not your fault the little guy isn't feeling his best."

"Well, yeah, she's helping me with the redwood treatment for the stairs. I doubt it's me she wants to spend more time with though, it's Tony. She loves her grandbabies."

"How about you invite mom and dad over tonight for dinner? You can have them bring the food. The Italian place down on Bleaker Street makes utterly delicious take-out food. The menu is in the top drawer next to the dishwasher."

"Maybe, I could do that," Edward agreed, grabbing his keys and his phone off the counter. "I should probably check with Bella first, though. She might not be up for it. She's seeing her chiropractor this afternoon. Usually her back muscles get really sore after those appointments, so…."

"Oh, this afternoon?" Alice asked, following Edward out of the kitchen. "You know I can only stay until two o'clock, right."

"Yeah, I know. We'll work it out, somehow. I'll probably have to come back watch him for an hour or two," Edward sighed. He pulled on his coat; kicking Tony's discarded snow boots out of the way as he searched for his own shoes. "Look, I need to get going, or I won't get anything done today. Keep an eye on the oven. Don't let anything burn. We don't want the sprinklers going or off, or the fire department to come knocking on the door."

"Oh, now you're giving me ideas… Men in uniform are always welcome at my door. Bet you, Bella wouldn't mind some eye candy either."

"She has her blood pressure to think of, " Edward pointed out, while checking the time on his phone. "Just don't traumatize my son, that's all I'm asking. I really, REALLY need to go now. Call me if anything happens and have Bella call me when she gets up, alright Brainless? You think you can handle that?"

"Of, course, Knucklehead. I've got everything under control. See you later!"

.

….

.

"Uhm, hello! Where did you guys disappear to?" Alice hollowed into the stillness of the apartment a few hours later.

Bella and Tony had been up for nearly three hours and lunchtime was fast approaching.

Alice had been busy in the kitchen for the past half an hour, working on making a macaroni and cheese casserole from scratch. Because Edward was wrong, she actually DID know how to cook , she just preferred to let other people (i.e. Jasper) do it for her.

She had volunteered to make lunch for two reasons. One, Bella looked like she would fall over at any moment, worn down from sleep depravation and an aching back. And two, because she figured her ultimate revenge on her brother would be if she could get Tony to tell his daddy that he loved his auntie's lunch better than the soggy toast he had been force fed for breakfast. Because everyone knows infants make excellent food critics, right?!

Anyway, she had just put her casserole in the oven and had gone looking for the others. "Are you hiding? You're spooking me."

This time she got a response, a faint but clearly identifiable thump of a book falling to the ground and the quick shuffling to pick it up.

"In here," Bella called out from the room that was Tony's temporary bedroom, sounding a bit groggy.

"Oh, there you are. Were you asleep?" Alice asked trying not to sound too concerned, by the fact that she had just found Bella and Tony in a pile on the floor.

"Nah…. We we're just chilling and reading," Bella replied, patting the stack of photo albums at her side, trying to act like she hadn't just been caught asleep, though it was quite obvious that that had been the case. "Didn't notice him dozing off there," she added, looking over at Tony, who was sprawled out like a star fish on the floor by her feet, getting drool and spit all over his favorite tractor book.

"I just put the casserole in the oven, " Alice said, extending her arms out for Bella to latch onto, pulling her up off the ground. "It should be ready in twenty minutes, if you wanna wake him? Don't know what's best, to wake him when he clearly wants so sleep, or to let him sleep at the cost of going another hour without food? I know dad will be here in another 45 minutes, or so. "

"Let's move him to the bed," Bella suggested, wobbling a bit before finally standing up straight. "I'll wake him and feed him after the two of us have eaten."

"Alright, I do the lifting," Alice agreed, carefully scooping the child off the floor. "Could you move the pillows?"

"Wait, let me pull the covers off as well. There, put him down, " Bella instructed, clearing the bed so that Alice could lay the boy down and tuck him in.

"Have a good nap, little guy," Bella leaned down to kiss his cheek, then groaned as she felt the all too familiar pressure on her bladder. "Alice, I really need to jet off to the bathroom. Would you mind-… ?"

"Go! Don't worry about Tony. I'll keep an eye on him."

"Thanks," Bella called out over her shoulder, already waddling out of the room.

.

…..

.

When Bella came back from the bathroom she found that Rosalie had joined Alice in the kitchen. It turned out Rose had managed to push her shift back a few hours, so that both Alice and Edward could go with their respective plans for the afternoon without worrying about who would look after Tony when Bella left for her two a clock appointment with her chiropractor.

"I had the new girl, Jodie, take my afternoon class," Rosalie explained. "She needs the experience, and I need a break. I'm not a machine, you know. Three spinning- and six pump classes a week takes its tolls even on the fittest of person."

"That's crazy! I though you only stepped in when one of the regular instructors call in sick?" Bella commented, because that's what she remembered from short stint of filling in as a front desk receptionist at Emmett's gym.

"Didn't I tell you? Adam damaged his C4 vertebrae, when he took his girls ice skating on new years. He's won't be back for three months at the very least."

"Ouch! Well, I guess that explains why you've been looking a bit drained and worn out lately," Bella teased. Rosalie always looked like a picture of health. Having a child didn't seem to have aged her, or slowed her down one single bit. She seemed more confident and comfortable in her skin these days, than the Rosalie that Bella remembered from high school.

"Crap! Is it really that noticeable?" Instead of laughing it off, like Bella had expected her too, Rosalie looked genuinely taken back. "Whatever you do, don't get older! I'm telling you! It really sucks all energy out of you," she grumbled, hiding her face in her hands.

"Is this about the big 30?"Alice laughed. "Relax, your birthday is still several months away."

"Shut up, Al," Rosalie snapped, "This is about Emmett wanting to hire someone to cover for Adam and me saying 'don't be silly, I can do it'. You know what his response was? He said, 'You're twenty-five anymore, babe.' The nerve of that man! "

"How dare he!" Alice voice held the perfect amount of indignation.

"I know," Rosalie grumbled. "I have to do this. I HAVE to put him in place. It's only been a few weeks and I'm already running on my last fumes. On top of everything else, I have a child to raise, a home to run and a husband to keep on a short leash. You know how Emmett is. He'll never let me live this down, if I don't see this to the end."

"Now, I feel bad for relying on your help with Tony so much," Bella sighed, absentmindedly shifting in her seat, both of her hands behind her, rubbing her stiff back. "If there is anything I can do…"

"No, I didn't mean it like that. Both Emmett and I love your little guy and Elliott adores him too. It's been great fun to see those two get to know each other. "

" I'd hate to see you burn yourself out in the process, though!"

"I just need to whine and complain to someone...and then I'll feel better." Rosalie waved her concern away. "Also, I'm about to start my period, so it's mostly the hormones talking. I feel so bloated it's not even funny!"

"Me too, sistah," Alice exclaimed. "My boob's are hurting and my stomach is cramping. Ugh! You're so lucky to have nine months of not having to deal with any of that, Bella."

"OMG! Shut up, Al! You have no idea what you're talking about," Rosalie groaned, while Bella outright laughed.

"I'd gladly take menstrual cramps over extreme mood swings, hormonal imbalance and swollen...well, everything."

"Emmett wants another kid like yesterday, but if I get my say, that won't happen until Elliott is in school."

"Didn't you have trouble conceiving though?" Alice pointed out. "You probably shouldn't wait too long, if you want more kids."

"I wouldn't mind adopting the next one…" Rosalie shrugged. "What about you, Bella? You want more kids after this one?"

"Hell no!" she replied without even blinking. "I mean, it's not a definite no, but I feel two is quite enough for now."

"Uh-uh, does my brother know you feel that way? Because I'm pretty sure I heard him tell Em, you'll keep going until they have one of each at least. Not counting Tony."

"I wouldn't take that kind of talk too seriously. The shock of just how much work a newborn can be will change his tune real quick."

"Why wouldn't we count Tony?" Bella interjected, not that it made any difference on her standpoint in the matter, but because the absurdity of not counting Tony really boggled her mind. Of course he counted. He was their first. He was the glue that kept them together.

"Hey… quiet! Did you guys hear that?" Alice asked suddenly. "I think I heard something."

Bella was off her chair and on her feet immediately, but the other girls stopped her.

"You stay where you are! Alice will go check on the little guy."

"No, I'll go," Bella insisted. "Alice should check on the oven. I smell something burning."

Bella winked at Rosalie, before taking the opportunity to escape the kitchen. She almost felt guilty when she heard the Alice panic over what this meant for her casserole.

.

….

.

Bella found Tony sitting in the middle of his bed, clutching his stuffed tiger, with big fat tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Edda..." he whimpered when he saw Bella entering the room.

"Aww, sweetheart. I'm here. I've got you."

"Bewwa, I wan my Edda," the boy cried, extending his arms, wanting to be picked up.

"It's okay bug, daddy's working right now, but he'll be back later." Bella soothed him. Her stomach made it difficult for her to cuddle him properly, but she tried to make it up to him by sinking down on the bed pulling him into her arms.

"Bewa?" Tony hiccupped, wiping his nose on her shirt.

"Yes, I'm right here. Guess who else is waiting to see you? Your auntie Alice is still here. She's in the kitchen making lunch for us," Bella told him, drying his tears with her sleeve. She was going to have to change clothes now anyway. "You know who else is here? Your auntie Rose! You're such a lucky little boy, with two aunts here to see you at once. AND also, your grandfather will be here soon. Three visitors in one day. How cool is that!"

"El?" Tony asked furrowing his eyebrows and tilting his head sideways.

"No, no Elliott today. Your cousin is visiting one of his other friends from daycare today. Remember, we talked about this when you brushed your teeth earlier," Bella reminded him, kissing his cheek. "Come on let's go eat some lunch. I have to go out for a little while, but Rose brought Elliott's 'Planes' DVD, for you two to watch. You'll have so much fun; you won't even know I'm gone."

"No," the boy wailed, having picked up on the going out for a while part.

"No, what? You don't want lunch, or you don't want to watch the DVD," Bella asked, pretending she didn't know the real reason he was protesting.

"No, go leave, Bewwa." He clung to her neck, his little hands fisted in the tangled length of her hair.

"Honey, it's just for an hour and a half. I'll come back., I promise." Bella felt her eyes tear up, but she it together the best she could. "I love you heaps and heaps. I'll never leave you and neither will your daddy. We'll always be your family. ALWAYS."

"Edda?" the boy whimpered.

"Yes, Edward is your daddy. Just like Emmett is Elliott's daddy," Bella explained slowly and with slight hesitation. "We should have had this conversation ages ago. You know what? We should tell daddy about this when he gets home tonight. We should tell him that we're a family. That he's the daddy and I'm the mommy and that we all love each other very much, alright?!"

"Say Edda daddo?"

"Yes," A laughter bubbled in her chest. "Yes, we'll tell Edward you know he's your daddy. He'll love hearing that from you."

"Otay," Anthony sighed, his forehead touching hers as his thumb went to his mouth.

"You feeling sleepy, baby?" she asked, running her hand through his hair. "We should eat first, and wait for grandpa Carlisle to get here, then you can sleep all you want. How does that sound?"

"Macaloni and cheese, pease and fhank you," he mumbled around his thumb.

"Aww, sweetheart. You're the best kid any mother could ever ask for." This time there was no stopping the tears from falling. She made a point to smile through it all though, making sure he knew it was happy tears, as she lifted him onto her hip and carried him intro the kitchen.

.

…

.

"Wow, look at this pic!" Alice said, tapping her finger at the page in the album she was flipping through. "Is that Renee? Look at that belly. She looks ready to pop any minute."

Bella swallowed down another mouthful of food and craned her neck to see what she friend was talking about.

"Yes, that's Renee," she confirmed, then she furrowed her brows. "The date says 4th of July, so that means she was not even six months along there."

"Yikes," Rosalie, shook her head. "She was big."

Anthony contributed to the conversation by poking his nose with a sticky finger.

"Stop that Tony, or you'll end up with cheese stuck in there permanently," Bella warned, grabbing a baby wipe to clean his hand and face.

"You sure you don't have a secret twin lurking somewhere, Bella," Alice teased, turning the page and holding the album up to show the others, two more pictures of a very, very pregnant looking Renee.

"I don't think I've ever heard how much she gained, but she swore she'd never have another baby, because her body wasn't built for it."

She hadn't given it much thought before, but now that it was pointed out to her, she had to agree that the otherwise always very slender looking Renee must have been on the heavier side of average during her pregnancy. Her bump seemed enormous in those pictures.

"You know that pregnancy weight gain is hereditary, right?!" Rosalie pointed out, confirming the thought that had just flashed through Bella's mind.

"Shut up," she groaned, pushing her plate away. Thankfully, her phone chimed, just then, saving her from stressing over the weight issue, because as she checked her phone, another issue was brought to her attention.

Bella couldn't help but snort out loud at the message displayed on the screen.

"What's happening?" Alice's head snapped up in curiosity.

"Edward's being ridiculous," Bella replied, with a shake of her head. "He texted me earlier about dinner with your parents tonight and I replied with 'Sure, but I'm inviting Seth over as well'. This is the response I got." She turned her phone for the others to see.

It was a four seconds long video clip of Edward banging his head against a brick wall. "There is no sound, but I think you, but you get the idea."

"Still no love lost between those two, I take it?"

"Nope. No warm, fuzzy feelings there… I feel like there's this silly pissing contest going on."

"Are you sure it's not a di-.. duck measuring one," Rosalie snorted, rescuing Tony's plate of food as the little boy immediately attempted to mimic his father, banging his head against the kitchen table. "What a fine example he's setting, your old man, eh Tony?!"

Bella sighed and reached for another baby wipe. "I don't think Edward has anything against Seth per say. It's just that he serves as a reminder of things he would rather just forget. Perhaps it's simply that he's been the bearer of bad news one time too many."

"So, why do you keep bringing him around, then?" Alice asked curiously, getting up to head over to the counter, where she helped herself to another refill of the casserole; her third. Some damn fine cooking, indeed.

"We work together, not to mention, he's a good friend of mine. I'm pretty sure I'm allowed to have friends, even male ones," Bella huffed, grabbing Tony's sticky hands before they could land on her shirt.

"Of course you do. What I meant was, why don't you just meet up with him elsewhere? What my brother doesn't know won't hurt him. It would save you a lot of tension."

"It's more convenient to have him come here, with Tony and everything. Also, I don't want to have to sneak around, that's just wrong…" Bella shrugged, reaching for her glass of milk. "I wouldn't-…. NO, Tony! Stop that! What have I said about playing with your food?!"

"Is a no," the boy pouted, opening his hand to let go of the handful of mashed vegetables he had just grabbed off his plate.

"That's right. We don't play with our food."

"Here let me take him," Rosalie suggested. "I'll get him cleaned up, so that you can finish eating before Carlisle get here." she offered, lifting the boy out of his high chair.

"Thanks Rose! You're a lifesaver. I was hoping I'd have time to change into something more presentable."

"Go, get changed. I'll handle this messy little fella. By the way Alice, didn't you say you had to leave at a quarter past the latest?"

"Oh, shoooot," Alice cursed, throwing a glance at her watch. "Yeah, I've gotta go. Have fun at the chiropractor, Bella. Oh and have fun at dinner tonight. Tell Edward, no fistfights and no throwing stuff in my apartment."

"I doubt it will go that far," Bella laughed. "But I've been wrong before."

"I expect a play-by-play tomorrow," Alice insisted, picking up her purse and waving goodbye to Tony.

.

…

.

**AN: Q&A**

.

Q: What is an EPIPen?

A: I realize now that I should have included an explanation to this in the chapter… It was mentioned earlier in Toxic Lullaby, but that was quite a while ago, so I get that no one remembers that.

EpiPen is a prefilled automatic injection used in emergency situations for the treatment of severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis). You keep the EpiPen nearby and ready for use at all times.

I should have done better research on this from the beginning, because as it turns out the epipen should be stored at room temperature, protected from light and NOT in the refrigerator. Oops…

Q: Were Edward and Alice adopted by the Cullens?

A: Yes, and Emmett too, but they are as close as any siblings can be... too close even... to the point where they tend to be all up each others business, all the time. I had to go back and look at what I've written about this previously… They grew up together and they share a similar past; all three of them were orphaned at a tender age (around 5 yo) and all three of them were adopted into the same family at roughly the same age.

Q: This Aunt or her brother is going to have something to do with Edward aren't they?

A: Usually when there are new characters introduced they are added to the mix for a specific reason. The photo albums will play an important role. In the first story we had the stalker letters, in the second story it was Bella's recorded messages and Angela's diary, in this story we have auntie Maggie's photos and captions. Also note that sometimes you have to add more characters to a story to make the ending too easy to predict. They could be decoys…

Q: I noticed this is no longer labeled Edward/Bella. Is there a reason for that?

A: Nope, no reason other than me being sloppy. I simply missed adding them as a pairing when I posted the first chapter. It's definitely a B&E story and it will have happy ending. I don't think anyone will die, at least not anyone important. No cheating, but probably no wedding either… we'll see about that…


End file.
